Although there are areas of oil exploration and exploitation in which the only oversight is the Federal Government, the Secretary of Energy does not control the sworn declarations to be submitted by companies in that category.

According to a report from the General Audit Office (AGN), the dependence of the Ministry of Federal Planning "does not request any supporting documentation (statements) or perform site inspections" to validate the reported data.

By a resolution of the Ministry of Energy 2004, oil companies are required to submit each month an affidavit detailing the volume and quality of production. With that information, agency can-or should estimate the royalties that firms will pay the following month for both liquid hydrocarbons extracted at the wellhead and in the exploration stage.

What data has the sworn declarations? The forms have two different spaces for companies detailing sales figures. But the auditors found that "reported in a sector does not coincide in any way with the (expressed) on the other." This "mismatch" was recorded in two sites, Carina and Aries, belonging to the Maritime Austral Basin Area.

Also in Aries, the firm Pan American Sur declared the same amount of gasoline and crude oil production in two consecutive months, July and August 2007. In this case, "could not be verified that the Energy Secretariat has requested clarification" AGN says.

Within the Planning Area Royalties works, according to the report, "it does not have a complete and reliable recording of (information)". In fact, the database of the office "uses an Excel program that does not reflect the totality of what is included in the sworn declarations and does not allow comparative analysis month by area and / or deposit".

After comparing the statements of the oil with the database, the watchdog found "lots of errors, omissions and differences." For example, "Where are loaded settlements in the database (but) could not be verified presentations the sworn declarations; returns filed on paper that were not loaded to the database; and differences between the amounts of liquidated royalties arising from the affidavits on paper and which are loaded into the database."

Moreover, the Audit could not verify that the Energy Department has implemented some action to correct the inconsistencies in the processing of affidavits. Among those shortcomings also it stresses that companies have roles in formats that "different model" established in that resolution 2004 which regulates the mechanism, and sometimes do not include all the required information; statements are not accompanied by proof of payment, which also requires regulations; and dependence Planning intima no defaults in the presentations of the oil.

Also, the work of AGN notes that "the absence of a full record, complete, accurate and updated to reflect and identify each of the areas, fields and respondent companies, does not allow the Energy Department to determine all subjects required to submit affidavits and, therefore, exercise adequate control."

Follow Up

The report of the AGN was approved in September of this year. a work which sought to determine the degree of compliance with the recommendations made another audit in 2007. At that time It was, the Energy Secretariat received 13 observations from which, three years later, only two were regularized.