More than 54% of the state's food spending was concentrated in three companies

Santo Domingo.- More than RD$600 million pesos, of the total of RD$1,152 million allocated to food services for public employees between January 2024 and April 2026, were awarded to only three companies, according to an analysis presented on the program Bajo el Foco. This represents more than 54% of the total identified expenditure in this period. The company Inversiones Siurana tops the list, with more than RD$431 million pesos in contracts. It is followed by El Rinconcito Gourmet By Guillercris, with more than RD$105 million, and Grupo Hiciano Gruhinc, with around RD$88 million in awards. The analysis shows that, in addition to concentrating most of the spending, in the case of Inversiones Siurana a significant part of these contracts was awarded under the exclusivity modality, a figure that allows contracting a supplier directly. According to the Mercantile Registry and the Assembly Minutes of May 2024, the company is composed of José Luis del Río Muñoz, majority shareholder with 75% of the capital; Arline Castellanos Silié, with 15%, who also serves as manager and legal representative; and Carmen Lidia Arias Sosa, with the remaining 10%.

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In its original constitution, in 2016, the company was almost entirely controlled by the Panamanian entity Belmira Investments, Inc., while Susy Carolina Pineda Chu appeared as a founding partner with minimal participation. According to administrative records, the latter held positions within the State between 2020 and 2023 in the General Directorate of PROMESE/CAL, one of the institutions that also appears in the survey with food contracts.