The government could lose more than USD 217.6 million due to the lack of timely certification of recoverable costs declared by gas project concessionaires, warns the Center for Public Integrity (CIP).

According to an analysis by the CIP, these costs, which are of capital importance for state revenue, could have a negative impact on public finances, since they are subject to risks arising from legal delays in their certification.

"The costs reported until 2019 and not audited until 2024 are outside the legal deadline for certification. On the other hand, the costs reported between 2020 and 2022 are within the legal deadline, but at risk of falling outside the deadline due to the delay in their certification," says the NGO, citing the data from the Report and Opinion on the General State Account (RPCGE) for 2022 and the latest available audit report from the National Petroleum Institute (INP) for 2019.

For the CIP, these gaps reveal the state's inability to adequately monitor the recoverable costs reported by the concessionaires.

Furthermore, "this potential loss comes at a critical time. The country desperately needs revenue to mitigate the effects of the political, economic and social crisis, to honor commitments to suppliers and to guarantee salaries in the public sector. Without urgent measures, the risk of worsening fiscal difficulties could jeopardize the development of one of the most promising sectors for the country's future, reducing the prospects for sustainable growth and negatively affecting economic stability."