Sedena must clarify the use of more than 300 million pesos

According to data from the Superior Audit Office of the Federation (ASF), the Secretary of National Defense (Sedena) has pending clarification of 303.5 million pesos. 78% of this amount corresponds to the work carried out by the Mexican Army in the construction of the new airport of Santa Lucía, Felipe Ángeles.

In the 2019 Public Account, the highest auditing body carried out the Compliance Audit of Physical Investments: 2019-0-07100-22-0068-2020 68-GB, which was entitled: “Pre-investment Studies for the Construction of a Mixed Civil-Airport Military and Construction of the International Airport of Santa Lucía, in the State of Mexico”.

When analyzing the project, the ASF initially determined that the construction of the new airport began without the “project fully completed and authorized by the Federal Civil Aviation Agency (AFAC).”

In this audit, action 2019-0-07100-22-0068-03-001 was generated, which consists of a request for clarification, in which the Army is asked to “provide additional supporting and proving documentation” of 235 million 519,934.50 pesos “for the lack of documentation that justifies and clarifies 49 properties included in the list of the informative note of March 10, 2020 that do not have a contract, proof of payment or real folio.”

Although the request for clarification was issued, the ASF did not have data at least until yesterday when the requested documents were submitted.

This audit was delivered on February 20, 2021 to the Chamber of Deputies: according to the legal deadlines, the ASF had 10 business days from that date to notify the Sedena. After that, the Army had 30 business days to issue a response to the request for clarification.

Once the response was received, the ASF had another 120 business days to rule on whether the documentation delivered, in this case by the Sedena, justified the amount declared as pending to be clarified.

Almost two years after the presentation of the audit to the Lower House, the ASF had registered the request for clarification as still being followed up.

account 2020

In the Public Account of a year later, 57.3 million pesos were identified that are still pending to clarify their use.

Of this amount, the amount of 27.5 million pesos stands out, which according to the ASF is presumed “as probable damage or harm, or both, to the Public Treasury for the concept of the difference between the amount of the resources reported as paid to the health personnel and qualified labor to attend to the health emergency generated by Covid-19, and the figures contained in the payroll base.

While it was found in another work carried out by the Sedena, an amount pending clarification for 7.1 million pesos derived from work carried out in the accommodation building of the Military College that was not justified.

other earrings

To the results of the ASF is added an audit carried out by the Internal Control Body (OIC) of the Sedena, in September 2022, in which it determined that 45.3 million pesos were pending clarification.

The OIC of the Sedena carried out an audit of the General Directorate of Administration and Military Transport on the contracting of a service for the issuance of land tickets to the person who comes to receive medical attention at the various sanitary steps.

For this purpose, the Army indicated that, between 2020 and until April 2022, it had made 139 transfers, to the contracted transport companies, for an amount of 235 million 515,821.05 pesos.

The audit verified 115 transfers for an amount of 187 million 147,191.10 pesos, but could not verify another 24 that amounted to 45 million 368,629.95 pesos, which is equivalent to 20% of the total contracted.

hector.molina@eleconomista.mx