ASF detects new anomalies for 2,577 million

56 days before the end of the mandate of Andres Manuel Lopez Obradorhe will leave with what he himself has called a “stain” on his Government due to the case of corruption and fraud with the misappropriation of public money in Mexican Food Security (Segalmex), where the Superior Audit Office of the Federation (ASF) has just detected new anomalies for 2,577 million pesos.

Segalmex, the stain that I take with me: AMLO

It was last July 25th when AMLO acknowledged in a conference morning: “I would say that is the stain that I take with meeven though we face this corruption without tolerance of any kind,” in reference to the theft from the coffers of the social supply store created in his Administration to serve the poor population.

The ASF, the body that oversees the correct exercise of public spending, has so far presented at least 18 complaints criminal cases before the Attorney General’s Office of the Republic (FGR) against former officials and businessmen for mismanagement in Segalmex.

A report from the ASF that gives an account The Countrylove one Financial looting in Segalmex with new anomalies of at least 2,577 million pesos, which add to the corruption previously exposed by the state-owned company.

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The Audit Office filed the complaints after, during the audit process, it did not find documents, assets or products that would prove that the money withdrawals were legal.

It is presumed that these resources were subject to diversion, in a network of corruption with fraudulent operations, and it will be in the courts where the government will try to recover them.

Fraud in Segalmex: ASF detects more anomalies for 2,577 million; but the gap is bigger

He Report contains only the complaints promoted by the ASFapart from others presented to the FGR by the Financial Intelligence Unit (UIF), the Tax Attorney’s Office and Segalmex’s own legal representatives.

This This means that the hole in the state-owned company’s coffers is even bigger. The Audit report refers to fraudulent and unscrupulous acts. corruption occurred in 2019 and 2020.

READ: Million-dollar shipment of methamphetamine hidden in Segalmex bags seized in Hong Kong

Embezzlement in Segalmex: theft and looting

Los embezzlement in Segalmex They occurred in a variety of businesses:

• Payments for water jugs, pallets, grain bags, vegetable oil and fertilizers that were not delivered.
• Unjustified payments in the subcontracting of personnel (outsourcing).
• Million-dollar outflows of money in cash from the institution’s accounts.
• Tons of corn and beans stolen from warehouses.
• Product thefts of the basic basket purchased by the state-owned company.
• Loss of money due to Do not collect debts from suppliersor for not fining them for non-compliance, or for having paid advances without any guarantee.

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One of the complaints is for the purchase of 100 million pesos in junk bonds with resources from Segalmex, a scam documented by this newspaper.

Accusation of corruption in Segalmex boosted AMLO’s career

The corruption cases documented by the ASF occurred under the administration of Ignacio Ovallea former official from the era of the PRI governments and who boosted AMLO’s political career in his early days as a leader.

In correspondence, AMLO has defended the honorability of Ignacio Ovalle in the face of corruption scandals at Segalmex.

The FGR has surrounded a handful of former collaborators of Ovalle and other officials of little relevance, but Ignacio Ovalle is protected.

Although the Prosecutor’s Office presumes that an organized crime network operated within the state-owned company, Ignacio Ovalle supposedly had no knowledge of it, which seems implausible.

The highest profile former official to be brought to justice is René Gavirawho was head of the Administration and Finance Unit, and in whom his defense sees a scapegoatto protect the person truly responsible for the Fraud in Segalmexwhere the ASF detected new anomalies worth 2,577 million pesos.

Corruption allegations in Segalmex: Ghost companies and money laundering

The most significant embezzlements reported by the ASF are related to outsourcing contracts.

The Audit Office submitted four complaints to the Prosecutor’s Office that in total amount to a patrimonial damage of 1,385 million pesos. The figure represents more than half of the resources that are presumed to have been diverted.

In the plot of corruption in Segalmex There are two consortia led by the companies Team Business Management, S. de RL de CV and Esespa, SA de CV

During the inspection conducted by the ASF, Segalmex did not deliver to the auditors evidence that the persons allegedly subcontracted by the suppliers have actually worked for the institution.

READ: Segalmex case. Payroll of 400 people who were paid without working is exhibited

The auditors found that such basic documents were missing: attendance lists of workers, activity reports, payroll receipts, proof of social security affiliation (IMSS), travel expense vouchers and even employment contracts.

The ASF also documented that Team Business Management has a domicilio fiscal incompatible with which he reported to Segalmex, in addition to that drags negative tax opinions before the SATa sign that it could be a shell company that launders money and evades taxes.

In fact, this company, established in 2014, was relatively inactive. until the six-year term of López Obrador, when he began to benefit of the million-dollar hires.

More fraud in Segalmex: ASF detects new anomalies for 2,577 million

Others Frauds in Segalmex refer to million-dollar payments for products that the Audit did not find in Segalmex’s inventory. One of the criminal complaints is for a Contract for the acquisition of 65 million polypropylene bags.

The state-owned company covered the entire contract, but the supplier did not deliver 35 million units (more than half of what was agreed).

The ASF reported to the Public Prosecutor’s Office a patrimonial damage of 182.1 million pesos. A similar case was the case with another contract for the acquisition of 300,000 pallets.

Segalmex paid for the entire shipment, but did not receive 87,000 units, which meant damage to the treasury of 67.2 million pesos.

Third similar case reported by the Audit: the Payment of 50 million pesos for an order of pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers which was not delivered by the supplier.

Corruption in Segalmex, the Master Scam of the 4T?

These three cases share something in common: the contracted companies belong to a network of shell companies linked to Segalmexas documented by Mexicans Against Corruption and Impunity (MCCI), whose fraud he called “The Master Scam of the 4T.”

Fruverloz, SA de CV was the supplier of the sacks; Profesional Bright XRW, SA de CV, of the pallets, and Soluservicios Globales NXK, SA de CV, of the fertilizers.

The network was reported to the Prosecutor’s Office by the UIFwhich in turn included among the billers the company Productora Agrimex, SPR de RL, to which Segalmex paid others 36 million of pesos for unproven “services.”

The ASF was unable to document the amount of services paid to this alleged supplier, a sign of the laxity with which the institution’s resources were managed.

One more complaint is for the fraud of the garrafones revealed by The CountryAuditors found that Segalmex improperly paid 99.9 million pesos to the company Productora Procesadora Agrícola de México, SA de CV for an order of 1.8 million PET water containers.

The supplier not only failed to fulfil the contract (delivering only a third of the units), but also submitted the most expensive offer compared to two other competitors, despite which it won the contract.

Segalmex, a story of fraud and corruption

The ASF also reported the case of Fraud in Segalmex for milk with an amount of 328 million pesos.

This is a plot in which Five companies benefited multi-year contracts for the production of milk and dairy products.

Suppliers subcontracted third parties to perform the services awarded to them Segalmex, a violation of the Acquisitions Law.

One of the companies in the plot was Vicente Suarez Group 73 S.A. de C.V.., consisting of Alejandro Puente, a businessman linked to the Citizen Movement (MC) recently deceased, at the age of 60.

The remaining complaints document shortages of corn and beans in warehouses worth 212 million pesos; overpayments to wheat producers of 51 million pesos; cash withdrawals from the state-owned company’s coffers of 9.2 million pesos, and a loss of 32 million pesos due to failure to collect debts owed to a supplier.

There are other complaints for smaller amounts, but they complete the puzzle of corruption in Segalmex.

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