The contract has three phases: design, construction and equipment; the cost of the work exceeds Q580 million.
The maximum security prison with capacity for 3,000 prisoners that is managed by the government of Alejandro Giammattei will begin construction in Masagua, Escuintla, in the coming days, according to the Minister of the Interior, Francisco Jiménez.
It has been 19 months since the Government’s portfolio authorized a million-dollar disbursement to carry out the studies and begin the construction of that maximum security prison.
In September 2023, the then minister, Napoleon Barrientos, said the process was left in the process of processing licenses and that the incoming government would analyze whether it continued.
One of the delays, according to Barrientos, was due to the invasion of the farm where the prison would be built, although he did not detail what was negotiated for families to evict the land weeks later. The former ex-serr said at the time that the invaders were only looking for land to live in and not because they opposed the project.
They’re speeded up.
At the beginning of the current government, Congressman Samuel Pérez said that the contracts made by the previous authorities of the Ministry of the Interior (Mingob) with the developer would be verified, to ensure that the provisions of the law were complied with.
During an interview in a radio media, Jiménez said that in the coming days the first stone will be placed in Masagua, referring to the construction of the prison.
Mingob’s Department of Social Communication reported that conditions in contracts changed and that “conditions that were not in law” were corrected. However, he indicated that he had no details at the time and pledged to send a detailed report on the matter.
Jiménez stressed that the goal before the end of the government on duty is to leave three prisons built, to unpack the prison system, which currently runs 23 inmates throughout the country.
Disburse
The prison will be built 75 kilometers from the capital, on the Cuyuta estate, Masagua, Escuintla. This prison, according to the plans, will have capacity for 3,000 detainees.
On January 20, 2023, the Mingob decided to approve the contract for the provision of consultancy services of US$2 million 175 thousand 833 – about Q17 million to the Mexican Real Estate Rancho Sierra, for the elaboration of the design of the prison.
The Mexican Capital Consortium Grupo Tradeco, composed of the companies Innovciones Técnicas de Ciciones de Cimentación, S. A., from C. V. (Itecsa); Real Estate Rancho Sierra e Internacional Heavy Construction, Inc., is in charge of building the men’s prison.
Q16.5 million will be allocated to the total cost of this maximum security prison for the design, Q581.8 million for the construction and Q69.7 million for equipment.
Funds for the construction of the prison will come from the loan acquired with the Central American Bank for Economic Integration (BCIE), according to the contract signed on August 26, 2020.
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Lathes
On 2 June, 225 prisoners were evicted from El Infiernito prison in Escuintla and transferred to other prisons. Jiménez reported that administrative delays have prevented the re-enablement of that prison, which was vacated to relay it with technology and improve controls to prevent detainees from making extortive calls from the site.
The official mentioned that, in addition to the exotic animals that were located during the eviction operation at the above-mentioned prison, it was discovered that there was fiber optics connected to an electric power pole outside the prison, which allowed the prisoners to make extortion calls, despite the fact that there were telephone signal blockers. The prisoners also had a swimming pool and a cell with iron, as a place to punish other prisoners.
The control of El Infiernito, according to Jiménez, will resume in a few weeks. However, it believes that, in order to take control of the entire prison system, at least two more governments are needed.
Are we guarding those deprived of their liberty; we are not punishing or rehabilitating them. We have control of the perimeter area, but inside we don’t know what can happen,” the minister said.
This article has been translated after first appearing in Prensa Libre