Investigating 28 companies for fraud at Segalmex

Leonel Cota Montaño, general director of Mexican Food Security (Segalmex), stated that due to the diversion of the institution’s resources, which amounts to 9.5 billion pesos, 29 public servants and 28 legal entities are being investigated.

On the case, he recalled that 30 criminal complaints have been filed with the Attorney General’s Office.

In addition to another eight in other instances such as the Ministry of Public Administration for irregularities.

Purchase of corn and beans

When holding a working meeting with the deputies who are members of the Surveillance Commission of the Superior Audit of the Federation (ASF), Cota Montaño affirmed that although the observations made by the auditing body point to irregularities in the purchase of corn and beans, after visiting the Diconsa warehouses —a subsidiary of Segalmex—, they found more than 100,000 tons of both products.

For what he assured: there is “disorder, yes; responsibilities, yes; that the law be applied, yes, but I hope to resolve a good part of the observations with substantive elements, because we cannot give value to a document, if what was bought was in the stores”.

And it is that the federal official asserted that until now observations equivalent to 4,475 million pesos have been attended in Segalmex, Diconsa and Liconsa.

Illegal investments

On the other hand, when speaking about the illegal investments made by officials during the Ovalle administration, who allocated 100 million from Segalmex and 800 million from Liconsa, to trust stock certificates on the Mexican Stock Exchange, Cota Montaño assured that the percent of those resources, but the interest generated by the “investment” in stock certificates remains to be recovered.

While, after installing, with the authorization of the Ministry of Public Function and the FGR, a table for recovery of damage to the treasury, with the companies involved, they have repaid 300 million pesos.

“I must say that the first days were tremendous to observe all the deviations, it is not the first time that happened to me, I must say that when I arrived at the government of the state of (Baja California), I thought that there was nothing worse in the deviations and in the unfortunate conditions,” he added.

maritza.perez@eleconomista.mx