The Superior Audit Office of the Federation (ASF) presented the first complaints for alleged acts of corruption committed by officials of the administration of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador. These are two complaints filed with the Attorney General’s Office (FGR) for irregularities in the management of public resources in Segalmex, Liconsa and Diconsa during 2019 and 2020.
Federal authorities confirmed to Political Animal that both complaints were filed with the Specialized Prosecutor’s Office in the Field of Organized Crime (FEMDO) on August 11, and that they are in addition to the investigation files previously initiated against several former public officials.
Although it is not known precisely how much the amount of budgetary damage that the ASF recorded in its complaints amounts to, a review of the Public Account of 2019 and 2020 shows that 43 statements of observations were formulated for a misuse of public resources for 4 thousand 793 million 411 thousand 130 pesos in both fiscal years.
In that period, the director of Segalmex, Liconsa and Diconsa was Ignacio Ovalle, who, despite the size of the irregularities, was removed from office in March and appointed head of the National Institute for Federalism and Municipal Development (Inafed), without there being an investigation to determine responsibilities.
These complaints are the first filed by the ASF for irregularities detected in the current administration. Until March of this year, the complaints remained concentrated on the alleged crimes committed in the government of Enrique Peña Nieto, especially in the scheme known as La Estafa Maestra.
Last April, Political Animal published that the legal deadlines to resolve irregularities for more than one billion pesos in Segalmex and for the ‘disappearance’ of 4 thousand drugs to treat cancer were exhausted since November 2021, despite which the ASF had not filed criminal complaints.
The two complaints of the Audit for possible patrimonial damage come after another 38 presented since last January by the Fiscal Prosecutor’s Office of the Federation, the Financial Intelligence Unit, the Secretariat of the Public Function and the FGR itself, according to the head of the SFP, Alberto Salcedo.
As part of this accumulation of complaints, the FGR opened an investigation folder for an illegal purchase of private fiduciary certificates with public resources from Segalmex for 100 million pesos. In this case, the former head of the Administration and Finance Unit, René Gavira, Ovalle’s subordinate, was linked to the process and is waiting for the intermediate hearing to take place.
At the same time, the FGR initiated another investigation folder for the alleged crime of organized crime against 15 former officials and eight business partners whom it accused of simulating the acquisition of 25,000 tons of sugar for an amount of between 418 and 465 million pesos.
None of the FGR’s investigations include Ovalle, who was the head of Segalmex, Liconsa and Diconsa — and therefore head of all the accused former officials — during the period in which the alleged crimes were committed.
The irregularities denounced by the ASF
According to the public information of the Audit itself, in 2019, the first year of the López Obrador government, the damage to the treasury in the three institutions was one thousand 327.6 million pesos, while in 2020 the gap was an additional 3 thousand 465 million.
As these are statements of observations, the ASF considers that they are resources exercised whose destination is unknown; in other words, it is possibly diverted money.
By institution, the public money embezzled in Segalmex amounts to 2 thousand 031.2 million pesos; in Liconsa, one thousand 932.2 million, and in Diconsa, 829.9 million.
One of the main irregularities documented by the ASF in Segalmex, Liconsa and Diconsa in 2019 and 2020 was the payment of one thousand 445.7 million pesos for the alleged provision of professional services in support of personnel. That is, these were payments to “ghost” employees hired through the outsourcing.
The Audit also detected payments without verifying the receipt of products and services such as PET containers (99.9 million pesos), white sacks of polypropylene (182.1 million pesos), pallets (67.2 million pesos), pesticides, fertilizers and fertilizers (49.9 million pesos) and transport of dairy products (620.5 million pesos).
The auditing body also documented unjustified expenditures in co-production contracts to benefit certain suppliers. For example, payments were made for 293.4 million pesos without have the supporting and supporting documentation that will prove the receipt of the services associated with the production process of dairy products and dairy products, and payments for 518.4 million without proving the receipt of fresh milk and the services of drying maquila of the same.
The ASF also detected overpayments to milk producers of €327.3 million and unjustified cash outflows from Segalmex’s accounts of €104.3 million.
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
