Auditor to governors: where did money go? - Mexico

Duarte of Veracruz, Borge of Quintana Roo, Duarte of Chihuahua and Herrera of Durango: show me the money, says federal auditor.

Details sought regarding the expenditure of 18 billion pesos

Outgoing state governors from Veracruz, Quintana Roo, Chihuahua and Durango have yet to explain to the Federal Auditor’s office (ASF) how they spent 18.17 billion pesos (US $971.8 million).

The ASF detected mismanagement of federal funds transferred to each state in their expenditure reports for 2014, the most recent year to be audited.

Veracruz, which under Governor Javier Duarte has been the target of various accusations of misappropriation of public money, is the state with the greatest number of cases of mismanaged funds, amounting to 9.56 billion pesos.

One of those is an unjustified transfer of 701 million pesos originally destined for social infrastructure projects.

The state also has yet to clarify the spending of 6.3 billion pesos, including 275 million that were allocated for a full-time education program known as tiempo completo.

The ASF noticed, too, that Veracruz failed to contribute 252 million pesos to a public security contribution fund (in a state where public security has been in some doubt), and that it had unjustifiably paid 1 million pesos to eight teachers.

In Quintana Roo, questions have been raised about what the Roberto Borge administration did with 338.9 million pesos, along with an additional 676.6 million pesos whose spending awaits clarification and documentation.

The state also failed to spend 84 million pesos on a full-time education program, funds that were never returned to the federal treasury, and the auditor’s office also wants information concerning the spending of 69.8 million pesos that didn’t end up where it was intended.

Moving northward, the ASF detected problems with 409 million pesos in Chihuahua, and another 491.1 million pesos whose spending has yet to be justified.

The administration of César Duarte has also mismanaged funds for the full-time education program, totaling 217.4 million pesos, which has not been returned to the federal treasury.

The ASF also detected issues with 97.4 million pesos originally allocated to the state Health Secretariat.

In Durango, there are 260.2 million pesos in question and 157.4 million pending clarification.

The administration of Jorge Herrera failed to spend or reimburse 146.5 million pesos allocated to the same full-time education program as the other states.

The ASF also identified 63.9 million pesos that was taken from a basic education contribution fund and used to pay the administrative staff’s compensation and bonuses.

All four governors are members of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), which lost the June 5 elections to opposition candidates in those states.