Amid accusations of corruption, Robles defends her record before lawmakers

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October 17, 2018

Robles speaks in the Chamber of Deputies as lawmakers hold up a sign declaring that she stole from the nation.

Federal cabinet secretary Rosario Robles rejected all allegations of corruption in a defiant appearance before Congress yesterday, declaring “my hands are clean and my conscience is clear.”

The agrarian development and urban planning secretary has been accused of involvement in the corruption scandal known as “The Master Fraud” in which 11 federal agencies diverted over 3.4 billion pesos (US $180.6 million at today’s exchange rate) of government funds between 2013 and 2014 to shell and illegal companies via eight public universities.

A report by the newspaper Reforma last month said that more than 700 million pesos (US $37.2 million) paid to companies contracted by two secretariats headed by Robles were later transferred in cash to beneficiaries.

Reforma also said in February that the Federal Auditor’s Office (ASF) had detected the diversion of more than 1.3 billion pesos from the same two secretariats.

Robles, who has served in President Peña Nieto’s cabinet since the beginning of his six-year term, has consistently denied the charges leveled at her and remained steadfast in the Chamber of Deputies.

“I don’t need anyone to give me amnesty . . . I absolutely don’t need anyone to pardon me in advance. They can investigate me all they like . . . leave no stone unturned . . .She who owes nothing, fears nothing” she said.

“I am still living in the same house . . . I have no property other than that. I have no bank account other than the one in which my salary is deposited monthly. That’s what I live from, my work, from serving the people. I’m here and can say with a lot of pride that I have served Mexico,” Robles declared.

“I don’t need anybody to defend me, my work defends me, my career defends me and the work that we have done.”

During her appearance, lawmakers in the lower house of Congress, which since September 1 has been controlled by the coalition led by the soon-to-be ruling Morena Party, shouted at Robles to give back the money and held up signs denouncing her actions.

Labor Party (PT) deputy Gerardo Fernández Noroñoa interrupted the secretary’s appearance to request for it to be canceled if she continued to speak in what he described as a “mocking and cynical tone.”

“It’s intolerable to listen to this level of shamelessness,” he added.

But Robles maintained that she has done nothing wrong either in her current role at the helm of the Secretariat of Agrarian Development and Urban Planning (Sedatu) or in her previous position heading up the Secretariat of Social Development (Sedesol).

“Sedesol and Sedatu signed agreements with public universities. I trust our universities,” she said. “There is not a single contract . . . that was signed by Sedesol or by Sedatu with . . . shell companies.”

Robles said that she has publicly advocated for the relevant authorities to conduct investigations into the corruption allegations, adding that if any crimes are detected, those who committed them must be punished.

Source: El Financiero (sp), Milenio (sp)

930 trucks lined up for Mexico City water service, but there are no guarantees

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César Hernández

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October 17, 2018

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This will be a common sight in a couple of weeks.

Private water distribution companies are not as confident as Mexico City authorities about the viability of supplying water via tanker trucks at the end of the month.

The consensus among 20 such firms contacted by the newspaper Milenio was that they could not guarantee service to those requesting it.

Water service will be suspended October 31 in 13 boroughs of the capital and 13 municipalities in México state to allow maintenance and repair work on the Cutzamala aqueduct. More than 7 million people will be affected.

However, only two city boroughs — Cuauhtémoc and Miguel Hidalgo — will have their water completely cut off. The other 11 will see partial suspensions of service while three — Gustavo A. Madero, Milpa Alta and Xochimilco — will not be affected at all.

In the state of México affected municipalities are Toluca, Metepec, Huixquilucan, Cuautitlán Izcalli, Ecatepec, Naucalpan, Tlalnepantla, Tultitlán, Coacalco, Nezahualcóyotl, Chimalhuacán México and La Paz.

The water will be turned off for three days (it was initially projected to be four) but full service is not expected to resume until November 7.

In Mexico City, 930 trucks with capacity for 10,000 to 40,000 liters have been arranged for deliveries, but they expect long wait times at the locations where tanker trucks can load up, meaning they cannot guarantee deliveries to consumers.

Nor can delivery be booked beforehand because the Mexico City water department, Sacmex, will control water distribution at the 450 locations where tankers will be supplied.

Residents of Iztapalapa will have to rely solely on government tanker trucks. Private companies refuse to deliver to the borough after their trucks were stolen in the days following the earthquake on September 19, last year.

Residents will have more water at their disposal prior to the suspension in order to fill up water tanks and containers. The National Water Commission will bump water pressure by 15% five days before the suspension begins and for five days after service resumes.

Source: Milenio (sp) El Sol de México (sp)

No more federal inspectors, says AMLO: ‘we shall trust the people’

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MND Staff

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October 17, 2018

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López Obrador continues to espouse his faith in the people.

There will be no federal government inspectors including those from the tax department during the next federal administration, the president-elect declared yesterday, explaining “we’re going to trust the people.”

Speaking at a rally in Durango, Andrés Manuel López Obrador said that inspectors from the Federal Tax Administration (SAT), the Secretariat of Health and consumer protection agency Profeco, among other departments, won’t exist during his presidency.

“There are not going to be bribes at the top [among officials] nor at the bottom [among the people],” López Obrador said.

“. . . There will no longer be street inspectors . . . all the departments have inspectors . . . and they say to everyone that has a shop or a small business ‘let’s see your papers’ . . . It’s not going to be like that anymore, the inspectors are going to be tasked with other activities. They’re not going to be walking around carrying out inspections. We’re going to trust the people,” he added.

Citizens will only have to sign a document pledging that they are “conscious” of their obligation to act within the law, the president-elect said.

“The owner of a shop should be able to express ‘I’m conscious that we all must act speaking truthfully and honestly,’ sign and that’s it. That’s all . . . There will be a draw and whoever comes up will be inspected . . . The law will be enforced but there are not going to be inspectors visiting all the commercial centers all the time, that’s going to end.”

It’s not the first time that López Obrador has placed his faith in the people of Mexico.

Announcing that he will forego personal security as president just days after his landslide victory in the July 1 election, the political veteran said: “The people will protect me . . . He who fights for justice has nothing to fear.”

And last month he defended his plan for a public consultation to determine the future of the new Mexico City airport by declaring that “the people know everything” and were qualified to decide on a major infrastructure project.

López Obrador, who has made combating corruption his core promise to the people of Mexico, will be sworn in as president on December 1.

Source: El Financiero (sp)

‘New’ mattresses given to flood victims ‘smelly, stained and used’

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César Hernández

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October 17, 2018

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A Culiacán man shows his used mattress with the cover removed. One resident said they weren't fit for dogs to sleep on.

Victims of last month’s flooding in Culiacán, Sinaloa, were the grateful recipients of new mattresses until they discovered they weren’t so new after all.

In fact, one even smelled like bad meat. Said Dalila Valenzuela, “It smelled like rotten meat and flies started swarming in.” When she tore the mattress open she found a large stain that looked like blood, and the foul odor became unbearable.

The mattresses were handed out by state officials last weekend to residents whose homes were flooded during tropical depression 19-E. Today it was revealed that a lot of 2,000 mattresses purchased by the state Social Development Secretariat were actually used mattresses that had been re-covered.

The social development secretary said 1,197 were distributed to flood victims and are being replaced; the remaining 800 are under guard as evidence of fraud.

He said the supplier of the mattresses has been identified but the investigation continues.

The mattresses appeared new and did not smell because they had been double-bagged, he explained.

Meanwhile, Dalila Valenzuela and others are worried about the health effects of the old mattresses.

She found perforations that looked like bullet holes, sparking a rumour that someone had been shot while lying on the mattress. That triggered even more anger and fear among area residents, some of whom have reported becoming ill after using them.

Luis Alberto Ibarra showed a reporter several skin ulcers and other lesions he claimed were caused by a mattress, and Gabriela Díaz reported a sore throat and irritated eyes, and blamed fungus she found growing in the one she was given.

Residents have demanded special medical attention from the Health Secretariat.

The substandard products were reported in several neighborhoods of the city and in neighboring municipalities. In La Platanera, Navolato, recipients used theirs to erect a roadblock in protest.

Source: Línea Directa (sp), El Debate (sp)

Suspected killers of 20 women were smiling until the judge said ‘life in prison’

By

MND Staff

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October 17, 2018

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Three suspected victims of 'the monster of Ecatepec' and his wife. — Three presumed victims of 'the monster of Ecatepec' and his wife.

“Life in prison.”

With those words the smiles disappeared from the faces of Juan Carlos N. and Patricia N., self-confessed killers of at least 20 women.

The words were spoken by a judge in México state yesterday to indicate to the suspects the likely fate that awaits them.

In two back-to-back hearings, she ordered the couple to stand trial on charges of femicide and human trafficking, having determined that there is sufficient evidence to prove that they killed one woman last month and sold her baby.

If convicted, the couple faces imprisonment of up to 70 years for the former crime and between three and 10 years for the latter.

The judge set a time frame of two months for the conclusion of investigations into the murder of the woman identified as Nancy N. and one month for the “illegal adoption” case.

Juan Carlos and Patricia were detained earlier this month in Ecatepec, a sprawling municipality in greater Mexico City notorious for crime, in particular the disappearance and murders of women.

At the time of their arrest, the couple had a baby carriage with them that was filled with human remains.

Investigators later found body parts at the couple’s home and other locations in the same Ecatepec neighborhood where they lived, and both confessed to eating parts of their victims.

Prior to hearing the judge’s fateful words — prisión vitalicia — the suspects’ demeanor was playful and they were seemingly indifferent to the seriousness of the crimes of which they are accused.

Back together for the first time since they were arrested, Juan Carlos and Patricia whispered to each other, joked, giggled and smiled.

The former, dubbed in media reports as the “monster of Ecatepec,” even dozed off at times during the hearings while at other moments he stroked his beard, rocked in his chair and alternatively diverted his gaze to the ceiling and floor.

“. . . I would call [their behavior] mocking . . .” said Araceli Hernández, the mother of one of the couple’s suspected homicide victims who was present during the second hearing.

But their demeanor eventually changed: both closed their eyes, their jaws tightened and an outward appearance of indifference was replaced with one of anguish and concern as they learned they would most likely spend the rest of their lives behind bars.

A defense lawyer argued that despite his clients’ confessions, “there was no conclusive evidence against them” but prosecutors countered by saying that not only had they confessed to the crimes but in the case of the sale of the baby, the alleged purchasers, a couple who have also been arrested “confirmed their participation.”

Family members of victims are hopeful that the México state Attorney General’s office will soon be in a position to charge the couple with more of the murders they are believed to have committed.

As they await trial, they will remain in preventative custody in Ecatepec’s Chiconautla prison.

“. . . There is no death penalty in Mexico but life in prison is very good. It’s justice,” Hernández said.

Source: Milenio (sp)

Route suspensions to follow challenging year for Aeroméxico

By

Tony Richards

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October 17, 2018

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Aeroméxico has announced several route suspensions for next year. — Aeroméxico will cut several routes next year.

High fuel costs and over-capacity are behind the suspension of several routes between Mexico and the United States as well as some domestic ones, Aeroméxico announced today.

The airline will drop flights next year between Mexico City and Boston, Washington Dulles and Portland; Monterrey and Las Vegas; and Guadalajara and San Jose, California.

Domestic routes affected are between Monterrey and Tijuana, Mérida and Veracruz, and between Guadalajara and Cancún.

The airline said in a statement that the current year has been one of the most challenging in the last decade.

The situation is “complicated” due to oil prices exceeding US $80 a barrel and excess capacity in the market, it said.

Mexico’s principal airline will also retire three of its aircraft.

Next year will be the first in 10 years in which the number of seats available has not grown.

Aeroméxico announced yesterday that third-quarter revenues were up 14.4% but it recorded a net loss of 617 million pesos (US $32.8 million).

Mexico News Daily

Transsexual woman says new rules stop her from being carnival queen candidate

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César Hernández

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October 17, 2018

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A transsexual woman claims she was denied the opportunity to be a candidate for Veracruz carnival queen after the organizing committee modified the rules.

Karla Grijalva, 33, told the newspaper Milenio that the event’s rules now state that all competitors must be “women by birth.”

Grijalva had presented the required documentation to enter, including a certificate issued by the civil registry office with her updated gender, which legally recognizes her as a woman.

“My registry was unfortunately denied. I was not given the opportunity of being a candidate due to a series of clauses that changed from one day to the next,” Grijalva wrote on Facebook.

She also stated that Angela Ponce, the first transgender woman to be crowned Miss Spain and be part of the Miss Universe pageant, had encouraged her to pursue the Veracruz crown.

Grijalva is considering the legal ramifications of her case and any course of action will depend on the response she gets from the carnival’s organizing committee.

” . . . If the committee invites me for another spot I will take it, but only if it comes from the committee,” she said.

The Veracruz carnival will take place from February 27 to March 5, 2019.

Source: Milenio (sp)

United States doubles reward for Jalisco cartel boss to US $10 million

By

Tony Richards

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October 17, 2018

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The reward poster for the Jalisco cartel leader.

The United States government has doubled the reward being offered for the leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG).

The attorney general announced yesterday that the State Department would pay up to US $10 million for information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of Nemesio Rubén Oseguera Cervantes, also known as “El Mencho.”

It is one of the highest rewards offered by the department’s Narcotics Rewards Program.

Mexico has offered a 30-million-peso reward (US $1.6 million) for Oseguera.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions told a news conference that the CJNG is “one of the five most dangerous criminal organizations on the face of the earth,” delivering at least four and a half tonnes of cocaine and an equal amount of methamphetamine to the U.S. every month.

Rewards of $5 million are being offered for information about other high-ranking cartel members.

U.S. officials also announced it had unsealed 15 indictments against cartel members accused of conspiring to import drugs into the U.S. and laundering more than $100 million.

“More investigations are ongoing and I expect that there will be many more indictments. We will be relentless against this organization and their affiliates,” Sessions told reporters.

“They are in our crosshairs. This cartel is a top priority.”

Source: Milenio (sp), Reuters (en)

New airport one year behind schedule, may (or may not) open in 2021

By

MND Staff

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October 16, 2018

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Work continues on Mexico City's new airport even though it remains unknown whether the project will be canceled.

Construction of the new Mexico City International Airport is only one year behind schedule and not two, says the project’s infrastructure director.

Raúl González Apaolaza told broadcaster Televisa today that the airport will commence operations in 2021 instead of October 2020 as originally scheduled.

González’s view contrasts with information provided by Parsons Corporation, which has provided program management services for the project since 2014.

In a document seen by the news agency Bloomberg, the consultancy says that the airport won’t be ready until the second half of 2022.

One element of the project that is behind schedule is the x-shaped terminal building, which is expected to be finished in August 2021.

But regardless of the status of construction, whether the new airport ever opens remains in doubt as president-elect López Obrador and his transition team push ahead with plans to put the project up for a popular vote.

Jesús Ramírez, spokesman for the incoming government, yesterday revealed the question that citizens will be asked in the public consultation scheduled to take place between October 25 and 28.

“Given the saturation of the Mexico City International Airport, which option do you think is better for the country?

“A) Recondition the Mexico City and Toluca airports and build two runways at the Santa Lucía Air Force Base or;

“B) Continue with the construction of the new airport in Texcoco and cease using the current Mexico City International Airport.”

On the reverse side of the ballot, a summary of the pros and cons of both proposals will be printed.

Option B appears the most likely winner, according to a recent poll conducted by the newspaper El Financiero, which showed that 62% of respondents were in favor of the project continuing while just 27% wanted it to be canceled.

Ramírez said the cost of the consultation, to be held in 538 municipalities across the country, will be about 1.5 million pesos (US $80,000) and that the money would come from voluntary contributions from members of Congress.

Infrastructure director González urged that documents indicating the operational safety of both the new airport project and the Santa Lucía option be made available to the public before the consultation takes place.

The suitability of the Texcoco site has been questioned due to its location on an ancient lake bed while some aviation experts have said that the existing airport is too close to the México state air force base for both to operate commercial flights.

But civil aviation consultant Víctor Hernández believes that the two facilities can operate simultaneously.

“. . . Santa Lucía is compatible . . . There is a study that determined that it could be used for commercial purposes, it is feasible,” he said.

However, option A would come at a considerable cost.

Future transportation secretary Javier Jiménez Espriú said in August that canceling the new airport and adapting the Santa Lucía base for commercial aviation instead would cost 170 billion pesos (US $9 billion).

Source: El Financiero (sp), Milenio (sp)

Top cop is in Chiapas as Mexico prepares for arrival of Honduran migrants’ caravan

By

MND Staff

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October 16, 2018

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The caravan of migrants from Honduras, en route to the US via Mexico.

The chief of the Federal Police traveled to Tapachula, Chiapas, yesterday as a huge caravan of migrants from Hondurans makes its way north through Guatemala to the Mexican border. Final destination: the United States of America.

The National Security Commission said police chief Manelich Castilla will help the National Immigration Institute (INM) bolster security in the border region.

The caravan was made up of about 160 people when it left San Pedro Sula, Honduras, Friday but its numbers have now swollen to an estimated 2,000 people.

The migrants crossed into Guatemala yesterday, overwhelming attempts by security forces to stop them. They spent the night in the town of Esquipulas before some restarted their journey towards Mexico today.

“In Honduras, there are no jobs and the jobs that do exist aren’t enough to live on,” 32-year-old José Francisco Hernández told The Washington Post.

“We can’t go to the city because it is full of gang members, and that is hurting us. We decided to migrate from the country to see if we can find a better life.”

News of the caravan raised the ire of U.S. President Trump, who has made strong border security a hallmark of his administration.

“The United States has strongly informed the President of Honduras that if the large Caravan of people heading to the U.S. is not stopped and brought back to Honduras, no more money or aid will be given to Honduras, effective immediately!” Trump wrote on Twitter this morning.

However, given that the migrants have already left Honduras, the ability of authorities in that country to do anything to halt their onward march appears limited.

The next border crossing will take the caravan into Chiapas, about 500 kilometers from Esquipulas, but getting across might be a difficult proposition for many.

The INM said in a statement yesterday that it will deny entry to any members of the caravan that don’t have a visa to enter Mexico.

“The INM reiterates to the members of the ‘migrant walk’ that . . . upon arriving at entry points on Mexico’s southern border, immigration personnel must review compliance with the requirements established by the law and those who don’t comply will not be allowed to enter,” it said.

The INM added that while Mexico has a range of international measures in place to protect the rights of migrants, “the law does not provide for any permission to enter the country without complying with the [visa] requirements.”

A large migrant caravan crossed Mexico earlier this year before reaching the United States border in late April.

As they traveled through the country, authorities registered hundreds of the migrants, providing them with letters of safe passage which protected them from deportation for up to a month.

It is unclear whether authorities will grant the same protection to migrants who enter the country without official permission.

Amnesty International’s Mexico office called on authorities today to offer asylum to the Hondurans, warning that turning them away would represent a violation of international law. It prohibits returning people to situations in which they face the risk of persecution or human rights violations.

Source: Milenio (sp), El Universal (sp), The Washington Post (en)