Nicolás Viera strongly confronted the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Tourism after the tender was voided due to not receiving proposals for the concession of the building.
Uruguay.- After the failed tender call to operate the Hotel Casino Carmelo, Nicolás Viera, the Broad Front deputy for the Colonia department, Nicolás Viera, harshly criticized the management of the Undersecretary of the Ministry of Tourism, Remo Monzeglio, regarding the process of seeking bidders.
Viera, who will enter the Senate in the next legislation and is also a candidate for the Intendancy of Colonia, told the local media la diaria that Monzeglio is a “smoke seller”, because “he has been dedicated to selling colored mirrors with respect to the tender and the proposals that had been presented” about the Carmelo building.
According to the legislator, the “big hook of Monzeglio” in this business was “selling the hotel with the license for the casino”, because, otherwise, in the state the building is in, “nobody would buy it”.
Furthermore, Viera declared to la diaria that the failure of the tender call is a “very negative news because it has generated false expectations in the department and in the city of Carmelo”, and added that “the hotel is a beautiful architectural piece that is absolutely deteriorated, close to having people occupying the place, and that is an exclusive responsibility of the management of this ministry”.
It is worth remembering that the tender to operate the Hotel Casino Carmelo was launched in February last year, after more than four years of back and forth. During this last year, it was said that there were approximately nine groups interested in presenting themselves. In fact, one of the groups purchased the specifications but then did not submit the offer. The deadline was extended on several occasions, the last date being January 10th.
Viera doubted the real interest of the Ministry of Tourism in selling the complex: “Sometimes I think if Monzeglio's was a personal dream or if there really was any real possibility of selling that building”. Meanwhile, “the only one who benefited was a private entity, which is the company to which the Departmental Board of Colonia “condoned a millionaire debt of contribution”, stated Viera to the Uruguayan newspaper and added that “the new Mintur will inherit a big problem, which is taking charge of a public property, and see what it does in these conditions”.
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It is worth remembering that Monzeglio developed some theories about the failure of the tender. On one hand, he said that one of the keys that may have sunk the interest of investors was the lack of legislation to add to physical gaming an online gaming license. Moreover, he emphasized the relevance that the presidential elections had in the process, since on March 1st a new government that was previously in opposition will take office. “This, at least, has generated caution in the potential investors”, declared Monzeglio.
In response, Viera said that “although this discussion in Parliament is taking place, it is false that if this is approved it would fix the problem of the concession”. For the deputy, the central problem “is the ineffectiveness in the management of Mintur, which has been demonstrated even in the investigative commission in which I participated, dismantling a number of irregularities, of which Monzeglio is also responsible”.
