El Diario Mendoza Today published an investigation that reveals irregularities in the hiring of a virtual assistance service by the Municipality of Las Heras. An excessive expenditure of 154 million pesos to implement a municipal Chatbot is highlighted, when in a previous bidding in October 2024, 23.5 million pesos were paid.
According to industry sources, the service provider company has no experience in the area and replaced an official Meta provider with more than 3000 bots in Argentina, at a much lower cost. This new company is linked to Javier Pina, who has also managed businesses for other local political figures in the past.
Other details indicated in the investigation point to the alleged involvement of Daniel Suilar and Juan Pablo Raimondo, leaders of the United Computer Chamber of Mendoza, in what is directly characterized as a bribery scheme. Furthermore, it is revealed that the same company hired in Las Heras would be providing technological services in other municipalities affiliated with the ruling party.
Despite this information, municipal sources assert that the contract with the questioned company was never formalized, and until October of last year, they were working with a different provider, recognized as one of the best in the country. The latter had a contract tendered for a significantly lower amount and was an official Meta provider. The abrupt cancellation of this previous service caused confusion and criticism in the local sphere.
