Arias denounces “boycott” of MAS councilors who seek to cancel credit of Bs 175 million

AMUN / 17-03-22
“They want to boycott us,” Mayor Iván Arias denounced before the announcement by councilors of the Movement Towards Socialism (MAS) to annul the credit of the 175 million Bolivians, through a municipal bill in the Municipal Council, and announced that the Ministry of Economy and Public Finance will be consulted to find out if credits can be requested from entities not recognized by the Financial System Supervision Authority (ASFI).

“You know what? There are some irresponsible people, I love that there is opposition, it is good, but when it is serious it is valued, when it is vulgar, when it lies, all it does is tremble with rage, such cynicism,” the mayor protested this Thursday on the radio program “La Paz en Paz”, in relation to the opposition caucus, which is attempting to annul the credit of the 175 million Bolivians.

To clarify the issue, Arias interviewed the general advisor of the Mayor of La Paz, Óscar Navarro, on the radio program, who explained that this Friday the MAS bench in the Council plans to present this bill to annul the credit of 175 million Bolivians, under the same strategy with which the updating of the urban cleaning rate was nullified.

“The MAS councilors are going to present a bill to repeal what is the credit ordinance (of 175 million) with Banco Bisa. (It is a sample of) ignorance of the national regulations on the part of the councilors who recommend that we operate with an international entity not registered in Bolivia,” Navarro asserted.

According to the municipal advisor, the MAS councilors seek to induce the Municipal Executive to commit crimes, when they ask to resort to financial credits to international financial entities that are not recognized by the ASFI (Financial System Control Authority).

“The Autonomous Municipal Government of La Paz places bonds and they have a risk rating, operating with a company in Hong Kong is going to generate observations from the ASFI, they want us to make mistakes, which is why they initiate a lawsuit,” added Navarro.

At may interest: Mayor’s Office denounces that MAS councilors confuse about the credit of Bs 175 MM and incite the commission of crimes

Arias compared this type of unrecognized financial entities to those that “sell smoke” or run “pyramid scams.” For this reason, he questioned the MAS bench in the municipal legislature for not “representing the laws and regulations” at the national level, an action that he described as “irresponsible.”

And to clear up any doubts in this regard, Navarro informed Mayor Arias that the Mayor’s Office will send a note to the Ministry of Economy and Public Finance to find out his opinion on this MAS proposal, working with entities not recognized by ASFI.

“It is an incitement to operate with unregistered entities, controlled by the ASFI, that (the councilors) do not speak on behalf of the MAS,” said Arias, who asked Navarro to send the consultation note to find out if “the Government is going to to authorize doing business with smoke sellers, it will never do it”.

“We have to take care of the economy of the people of La Paz, we cannot generate irresponsible opinions; send that note urgently to the Ministry of Economy and Public Finance”, Arias instructed.

The Mayor’s Office of La Paz assumed a loan of 175 million bolivianos from Banco Bisa with an annual interest rate of 5.45%, for a 10-year term and a one-year grace period for principal and interest. This is the cheapest loan that any public entity has achieved, being even cheaper than a social housing loan and cheaper than the 7.5% with which the central government placed bonds on the market.

Navarro affirmed that the MAS councilors criticize the Municipal Executive for not taking a financing offer at 3% annual interest, but, he said, “they do not say that the financial entities that offer these conditions are not legally established in the country or regulated by the ASFI”.
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