The technology company Adexus files for bankruptcy in Chile due to an unpaid debt from Fonasa, putting the jobs of at least 400 people at risk. Despite its efforts to restructure, the company has not been able to overcome its financial difficulties, aggravated by the early and unjustified termination of a million-dollar contract with Fonasa more than 10 years ago.
By Fast Check CL
Adexus, founded on May 25, 1990, is in a critical situation that has led it to request its voluntary liquidation. Over the years, the company has offered development and implementation services for IT solutions to clients in Chile and other Latin American countries, such as Argentina, Ecuador, Colombia and Peru, but despite its restructuring efforts, it has not been able to overcome their financial difficulties.
The liquidation request comes after Adexus attempted to reorganize its assets and liabilities through a legal procedure before the 15th Civil Court of Santiago. In this context, Francisco Waltersdorfer, president of Adexus, explained to La Tercera that this reorganization process depended on the income of two investors and the payment owed by Fonasa. However, none of these scenarios came to fruition.
Waltersdorfer explained that “more than 10 years ago, Adexus was awarded an important contract with Fonasa to modernize its computer system, an investment that amounted to more than US$20 million. However, after a change in government, the contract was terminated early and without justification by Fonasa,” according to statements to Pulso La Tercera.
Along the same lines, he added that this whole Fonasa situation ended up breaking us as a company and sadly more than 400 people (which are the ones left today, having been around 1,000 a few years ago) will be left unemployed. And if Fonasa continues to interfere, they will also be left without compensation.”
Although the Court of Appeals of Santiago confirmed that Fonasa had to pay Adexus the amount of $4,093 million for unpaid invoices, the situation has not improved for the company. “To this date, Fonasa has insisted on administrative and judicial delays that have actually hindered the issuance of the check for said funds,” Waltersdorfer stated.
In response to Adexus’ accusations, as noted in La Tercera, Fonasa issued a written statement in which it stated: “In relation to the judicial controversy currently being heard by the courts of justice for the failures of ADEXUS in the execution of a contract for the provision of technological services, Fonasa has exercised the corresponding civil actions derived from such breaches.”
In addition, they added that “the trial has pending appeals before the Supreme Court, so there is still no final decision from the courts on this conflict. It is important to establish that FONASA has the duty to defend fiscal interests within the current legal framework, so it will wait for the final resolution issued by the Supreme Court and will comply with the ruling once it is final.”
