PAN deputies accuse Mexico City's government of corruption

Accuse City Hall of not being willing to provide receipts and contracts between the Public Works and Services Secretariat and four businesses

By BRONSON PETTITT

Mexico Weekly / Feb. 16, 2011

Opposition deputies on Wednesday denounced the Mexico City government's purchases of construction materials and the alleged opacity in information.

PAN Deputy Lía Limón and Mexico City PAN president Obdulio Ávila Mayo displayed in a press conference four freedom of information requests they submitted Jan. 11.

The documents, filed to the InfoDF transparency institute, request receipts and contracts between the city's Public Works and Services Secretariat (SOS) and four businesses, including Codinamex, Grupo Ferretera del Norte, Grupo Comercial Oceánica, and Grupo Pamline.

These businesses won contracts to provide construction materials for several public projects, but the city government refused to release the information.

Via the InfoDF responses dated Jan. 28, the SOS said the bidding and purchase information was classified for seven years “or if before the end of the restriction period the reasons that justify restricted access are no longer valid,” according to the response of the information request.

The secretariat on May 4 began a bidding process to purchase 76 types of construction materials, including 1,300 tons of paint.

The bidding process is identified as SOS/DGA/LPN/30001044/008/2010.

It was revealed that some of the products, including paint, thinner and metal rods, were purchased above average prices, and that some were shipped from the U.S., breaking one of the contract regulations that 50 percent of products be bought in Mexico, according to Limón.

Classified Information

“This information should have been on the Internet, and as of today (Wednesday), it is not,” Limón said.

“Information can be reserved when one of the bidders challenges the process and there is evidence that the bid has sensitive information,” Limón said. “In this case, there shouldn't be information that is classified.”

She accused SOS Secretary Fernando Aboitiz of being inconsistent.

“It's embarrassing that the city government reserve this information on these purchases, because the only thing it reflects is opacity, and where there is opacity, there is corruption,” Limón said.

Previous capital administrations have also reserved information on construction projects. When the Segundo Piso (elevated highway) was being constructed, some contract and purchasing information was classified for seven years.

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