With almost 52,000 million pesos pending to be clarified, the Plenary Session of the Chamber of Deputies, headed by the majority of Morena and its alliesgave approval to the 2023 Public Accountcorresponding to the fifth year of Andrés Manuel López Obrador’s government.
With the rejection of the opposition, the decree regarding the Federal Public Treasury Account was approved in San Lázaro, corresponding to Fiscal Year 2023which shows that during said year some 8 billion 162,986.8 million pesos were spent, which meant a real increase of 2.9% compared to a previous year.
While income amounted to 7 billion 39,359.8 million pesos, a figure higher by 436,530.1 million pesos in relation to what was collected in 2022.
It was also reported that the gross debt of the Federal Public Sector with respect to GDP decreased 0.4% from 2016 to 2023, going from 47.9% to 47.5 percent.
However, it was said that the net internal and external debt authorized to then President López Obrador amounted to 1 billion 283,300.0 million pesoswhile the amount exercised was 1 billion 245,432.0 million pesos, an amount resulting from the difference between the financing obtained for 6 billion 699,826.3 million pesos and the amortizations made for 5 billion 454,394.3 million pesos; Therefore, it was less than the authorized amount by 2.9%, which is equivalent to 37,868 million pesos.
Irregularities to clarify
Said Public Account also indicates that with respect to the Individual Audit Reports of the Superior Audit of the Public Account, in 2023 there were found irregularities for more than 53,741 million pesosof which 1,762 million pesos correspond to recoveries made, so 51,979 million pesos remain to be clarified.
Of these possible recoveries, 40,801 million pesos correspond to the federal entities, mayors’ offices, municipalities and local public entities that exercised Federalized Spending which is equivalent to 78.5% of the total; while 7,215 million pesos go to the Economic Development group, which represents 14%; 3,802 million pesos to Social Development, which constitutes another 7% and 159,648 million pesos to the Government group, corresponding to 0.3% of irregularities detected.
On this matter, representative Nancy Aracely Olguín (PAN) accused that the limited scope of the Superior Audit is not a technical error, It’s a political decision which offers citizens opacity, but impunity to the corrupt, by maintaining that of the 51,979 million pesos observed, only 1,329 million pesos were recovered, “a ridiculous percentage, poor thing. And you believe that it supports accountability.”
He added that specific irregularities were documented, such as the Mayan Train, with more than 1.6 billion pesos in cost overruns and payments without verification; the Dos Bocas Refinery, with more than 2.4 billion contractual modifications; Pemex, with more than 3,000 million in acquisitions and with excessive payments.
Deputy Eduardo Gaona Domínguez (MC) expressed that the states and municipalities present more than 41 million pesos of opacity and the refinery of Dos Bocas has a deficit of 141 million pesos that is not transparent.
“The Mayan Train, with an extra cost of 115%, almost 4,000 million pesos more. That’s where the irregularities come from. While this government presumes austerity, I give them a 100% in marketing. They presume austerity, yes, but in the meantime go to the offices, where they tell you: there are no pencils, there are no sheets, there is no toilet paper,” he said.
For his part, deputy Reginaldo Sandoval, leader of the PT, assured that the 2023 Public Account is proof that the economic and fiscal policy of that government privileged social well-being without losing fiscal discipline.
“We also have no doubt that this 2023 exercise made it clear to us that the investment in infrastructure was correct and necessary… There you can see the works, because if we look back, where are the works of Fox’s six-year term? Where are the works of Calderón’s six-year term? Where are the works of Peña Nieto’s six-year term?”, he emphasized.
