Fraud in Segalmex is higher than estimated; would reach $10 billion

Gustavo Castillo Garcia

Newspaper La Jornada
Monday, May 2, 2022, p. 3

The fraud detected in Mexican Food Security (Segalmex) is much higher than originally estimated by the Superior Audit Office of the Federation (ASF) and the Ministry of Public Administration (SFP), and could reach up to 10 billion pesos. In the context of these investigations, the former director of the agency, Ignacio Ovalle Fernández, has already appeared, revealed commanders of the Attorney General’s Office (FGR).

The case was turned over to the Special Prosecutor for Organized Crime (Femdo), since the irregularities impacted the financial and operational management of the body made up of Diconsa and Liconsa, since in addition to the irregular hiring and sale of supplies and delivery of support for agricultural production, 100 million pesos had been diverted for the purchase of stocks. Initially, it was calculated that the damage to the treasury was around 8.6 billion pesos.

The amount under investigation represents double the deviations attributed to the actions carried out in the secretariats of Social Development (Sedesol) and Agrarian, Territorial and Urban Development (Sedatu) during the government of Enrique Peña Nieto, which is why the former Secretary Rosario Robles Berlanga is subject to trial, as the probable damage to the federal treasury is estimated at 5 billion pesos.

The interviewed authorities revealed that the Segalmex case was transferred from the Specialized Prosecutor for Combating Corruption (FECC) to Femdo due to the possible existence of a corruption network involved in diversion of corn and bean inventories; payroll ghosts; Simulation of operations related to the purchase of milk, basic grains and wheat, as well as pesticides, expenses in transportation of agricultural products, underutilization of warehouses owned by Segalmex, acquisition of grains from producers who did not require subsidies and sale of products to companies private below guaranteed prices.

The first stage of the investigations was carried out by the area in charge of the prosecutor María de la Luz Mijangos Borja, head of the FECC, which resulted in the consignment of a file related to the authorization given by René Gavira Segreste, former director of the Administration and Finance Unit of Segalmex and Liconsa, so that stock bonds could be acquired. What already resulted in the return of resources.

However, the presentation of complaints by the SFP and the ASF indicate the possible performance of operations with resources of illicit origin in a network of complicity involving officials and companies, which led to the case being passed on to Femdo. led by Alfredo Higuera Bernal.

Around these inquiries – of which more than 15 investigation folders were opened – the former director of Segalmex, Ignacio Ovalle, who was replaced in the position last April by Leonel Cota Montaño, has already appeared.

According to the information obtained, Ovalle – who is now coordinator of the National Institute for Federalism and Municipal Development (Inafed), attached to the Ministry of the Interior – had an appearance in which the mechanisms for assigning contracts were questioned. , the lack of administrative controls and mechanisms for monitoring and detecting irregularities, as well as the placement of public resources in stock exchange funds.

Initially, Femdo investigates the allegedly irregular use of more than 3 billion pesos from the 2018-2019 financial year and anomalies in the 2020 budget exercise, for an amount of 5 thousand 640 million pesos, in addition to irregularities in the management and accounting of Segalmex’s own income in both fiscal years, which is why the ASF made various observations that have not been corrected.

Among other things, it investigates, with the support of the Tax Administration Service (SAT) and the Financial Intelligence Unit (UIF), the destination of the resources indicated with irregularities and the probable officials and companies that benefited from this diversion of funds. .

Femdo investigates, among other things, the amounts received for the marketing of beans in 2019, since according to ASF reports It is unknown if the prices and conditions of the sale were negotiated based on the situation that prevailed in the market, and the destination (companies benefiting from their federal registry of causes, volumes delivered, the sale price of each of the products and amounts of resources received for the commercialization and its reflection in the budget and the financial statements) that the corn had, and the milk acquired at guaranteed prices.

Also, based on the results of the 2020 audit, the total corn marketed with private companiessince Segalmex sold 15,420 tons to two companies at 13,100 pesos per ton, below the average rural price of 14 thousand 243 pesos.