The concept of public work is used in our language to designate all those constructions, buildings or infrastructures that are carried out by the public administration, which is the same as saying that they are promoted by the state, and whose fundamental mission is to benefit the community in some area: housing, public space, transportation, among others.
Constructions and infrastructures that are funded and managed by the state for the benefit of the community
It is important to say that public works must be planned and carried out with transparent methods and always oriented to the benefit and well-being of the citizens whom it must reach.
Types of public works
There are many expressions of public works that human beings can come across regardless of the community in which we live, while among the most common are: those of transport (includes the implantation and repair of roads, roads and highways; in fluvial matters, creation of ports and channels; in air transport, the realization and improvements in airports; and everything inherent to rail transport), hydraulic (generation of dams, purifiers and distribution networks), urban (creation and improvements in the area of streets, lighting, parks and squares) and public buildings (those for education, health care, among others).
Taxes pay for its execution
It should be noted that the aforementioned infrastructures are carried out thanks to the economic resources of the state that mainly come from the taxes and tributes paid by citizens.
In the public budget of nations, an amount must be allocated to be able to face and consume them and they must not have a profit motive on the part of the state but simply their duty is to improve the quality of life of society.
Public tenders to make the works award procedure transparent
Generally, the state calls for bids to companies that carry out works such as those mentioned above and whoever wins the same will be in charge of generating and completing them.
For the companies to carry out the works satisfactorily, it is necessary for the public administration in charge to control the progress and procedures according to the conditions and guidelines that have been opportunely stipulated at the signing of the contract.
A temptation for corrupt officials and businessmen
It is worth mentioning that public works have often served as a springboard for the illicit enrichment of government officials, given that it is a common practice in some nations, that the tender is awarded to companies that are friendly to the government of the day and in exchange for it is received. an economic contribution, bribery, bribery, that goes directly to the pockets of the officials.
The Odebrecht case
Precisely this state of affairs is in a heated state in Latin America where corruption associated with public works has led to jail and prosecution of important public officials from various countries, some of them former presidents, and business owners of construction companies who paid those bribes.
The Odebrecht case, which was uncovered and emerged in Brazil, but which has also impacted other countries in the region such as Argentina, Peru, Ecuador, Venezuela, among others, is undoubtedly the most shocking and impressive in terms of millions of dollars of bribes paid and in the glittering names of businessmen and politicians involved.
Odebrecht is a Brazilian company with several decades of experience in the construction industry, being one of the most important in its land in this regard.
In December 2016, the North American justice published an investigation detailing the million-dollar expenditures that this company made in bribes to keep the award of very important public works in the aforementioned countries and others.
An “unfaithful” employee, who was fired in the nineties and who was in charge of this entire structure of illegal bribery, presented the documentation in the US courts and this is how this mega-corruption case was discovered.
Marcelo Odebrecht, CEO of the company until 2015, is in prison for paying more than 30 million in bribes and was also sentenced to serve 19 years in prison.
Both Odebrecht, as well as other executives of the company and Brazilian leaders were indicted and found guilty in the framework of a judicial process promoted by the Brazilian justice and especially Judge Moro in charge of the investigations.
Also, for this case the president of Peru, Pedro Kuczynski, has had to resign, and in these times there are several Argentine public officials and businessmen in the eye of justice.
