Emir Olivares and Alonso Urrutia
The newspaper La Jornada
Friday, September 6, 2024, p. 12
The proven embezzlement at the Mexican Food Security Agency (Segalmex) amounts to 2.7 billion pesos, the federal government acknowledged. This figure is equivalent to 28 percent of the 9.5 billion pesos that the Superior Audit Office of the Federation (ASF) and the Secretariat of Public Function (SFP) observed as possible deviations in the 2019 and 2020 public accounts, said the head of the second agency, Roberto Salcedo Aquino.
Yesterday, during the morning press conference of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, a report was presented on the irregularities in this decentralized body, created during this administration. In that space, the president himself stated: It is the only case of corruption that was presented to us in the government
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Meanwhile, the federal prosecutor, Grisel Galeano García, reported that 26 people are involved in criminal proceedings for these embezzlements, nine former public officials and 17 private individuals. She highlights that Ignacio Ovalle, former director of Segalmex, is not among those accused.
For this matter of corruption – which has been widely documented by The Day–, the ASF made observations for 9.5 billion pesos of alleged diversions.
Of that total, the Secretary of Public Service stated, 4.7 billion, about 50 percent, have already been clarified with the relevant evidence
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Meanwhile, 2.1 billion, 22 percent, are in the process of being analyzed for accreditation or not by the supervisory authorities. If there is no clarification, the corresponding complaints will be filed. This figure is the one that is in transit, in process
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The official explained that the resources proven as damages to the treasury amount to 2.7 billion, 28 percent. This amount was not clarified during the audit process, This constitutes the amount of patrimonial damage, for which criminal complaints were filed with the Attorney General’s Office (FGR) so that, where appropriate, the files can be prosecuted and sanctions can be determined for the responsible public servants.
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He added that the files were also sent to the Federal Administrative Court of Justice so that the corresponding sanctions can be imposed since these are serious administrative violations; he explained that to date 955 million pesos have been recovered in this case, that had been illegally invested in stock bonds
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Salcedo Aquino assured that the process of clarification for this embezzlement will continue until the necessary evidence has been presented to resolve the observations that are in process and the corresponding complaints are made to the prosecutor’s office and the court. There is not and will not be impunity.
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For her part, the public prosecutor indicated that 156 criminal complaints were filed for the 2.7 billion pesos already proven to have been misappropriated by Segalmex.
The crimes mentioned include, among others, organized crime, money laundering, tax evasion, illicit use of powers and faculties, embezzlement, illicit enrichment and indirect fundraising.
Although he did not mention their full names, he said that among the former Segalmex executives arrested in this case are René Gavira, former administrative director, and Manuel Lozano, former commercial director, imprisoned in Argentina and who is expected to be extradited to Mexico.
