The Prosecutor’s Office of Mexico City has detected, so far, 69 properties related to the network of former officials accused of alleged illicit enrichment in the Benito Juárez mayor’s office, who have had their bank accounts frozen.
According to the capital authorities, the 69 properties detected in the mayor’s office – built between 2014 and 2021 – present “possible irregularities in their construction” in the neighborhoods with the highest surplus value of the mayor’s office, such as the Del Valle neighborhood, Narvarte, Christmas Eve, and Naples.
“These properties violate the building regulations as a result of a possible collusion between authorities of the demarcation and real estate companies to, presumably, obtain extra dividends by building more levels and apartments than allowed,” said the spokesman of the Prosecutor’s Office, Ulises Lara.
Read more | “They killed me in life”: the fight that a neighbor of Benito Juárez has waged for 17 years against the “real estate cartel”
The Prosecutor’s Office even pointed out that the properties have from one to seven more levels in their construction, after consulting records of the Environmental and Territorial Planning Prosecutor’s Office (PAOT) and the Ministry of Urban Development and Housing of the capital.
“Several of these buildings even have their real folios protected by the Public Registry of Property and Commerce to prevent any commercial use of these properties, due to the anomalies they present both in their permits and in their construction,” said the spokesman.
Authorities in Mexico City have accused Luis Vizcaíno Carmona, former legal and government director of the Benito Juárez mayor’s office, of alleged illicit enrichment, by heading a network that allegedly pressured real estate developers to receive properties in exchange for construction permits.
In addition, the Prosecutor’s Office maintained that the former officials ignored the recommendations to the mayor Benito Juárez to sanction the construction companies involved by demolishing the surplus levels.
On Monday, the authorities announced that they secured “the real folio” of a property located in Angelópolis, Puebla, which adds to the more than 40 properties possibly related to this network of former officials of the Benito Juárez.
So far, according to the Prosecutor’s Office, there are 46 bank accounts insured both to former public servants and to the companies in their name.
“These accounts and the resources they protected are the proceeds of the crime of illicit enrichment possibly incurred by the operators of this real estate scheme,” the spokesman said.
What we do at Animal Político requires professional journalists, teamwork, dialogue with readers and something very important: independence. You can help us keep going. Be part of the team.
Subscribe to Animal Político, receive benefits and support free journalism.#YoSoyAnimal
