8 more Yucatan mayors targeted for allegedly diverting funds

More Yucatán mayors are being targeted for mishandling public money.

The State Auditor’s Office has accused eight former mayors with the mismanagement or diversion of public resources amounting to over 20 million pesos, or more than US $1 million.

The auditors found that the eight mayors, all affiliated with the governing Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), had failed to present the necessary documentation to back up their expenses.

All the mayors were in office between 2012 and 2015, and include those of the municipalities of Sotuta, Dzemul, Tekax, Teabo and Kantunil.

The former mayor of Tekax, Carmen Navarrete Navarro, earned the distinction of diverting the largest amount of money, 10.4 million pesos.

Investigations have revealed that she assigned several public works contracts without adhering to the required bidding process. In many cases, those contracts resulted in non-existent, incomplete or deficient projects.

The ex-mayor also issued non-approved payments to ghost companies, and even included relatives as contractors.

Auditor Ariel Aldecua Kuk said the cases filed by his office are not part of a “witch hunt,” but correspond to what is mandated by law.

One month ago, the government of Yucatán impounded the assets of another 24 former mayors who were in office between 2010 and 2012. The fiscal authority had demanded that they return mismanaged funds and when they failed to do so it ordered that their assets be seized.

Those assets included 58 vehicles and 22 assorted appliances and furniture.

Source: mexiconewsdaily.com