Fuel thieves have laundered up to MXN $45,000 million

Santiago Nieto

, the head of the Finance Ministry's Intelligence Unit revealed that the l aundered money obtained through fuel theft could amount to MXN $45,000 million.

Nieto

told EL UNIVERSAL that he has confirmed that between 2017 and 2018, MXN $10,000 million were laundered through the financial system, “but that's only what has been reported, the number is larger,” and indicated that it could reach up to MXN $45,000 million and 50 companies could be involved.

He explained that as a result of the investigations, 5 cases have been denounced before Mexico's Attorney General's Office and that 15 people are involved.

“In these cases, we are before businesspeople , public servants , as well as a former Pemex official , a former local Deputy , and a former municipal president , [who are] linked to the ownership of licenses for fuel sale and its commercialization.”

He explained that the modus operand i implied the commercialization of fuel stolen from Pemex and money laundering through different operations, such as international bank transfers for USD $2 million each, as well as the purchase of luxury vehicles , in certain cases, in cash.

“We've found how public servants buy property every year, using their names, their family members', or the names of those close to them, and how they purchase plane tickets, jewelry , and art to launder the money generated by fuel theft ,” Nieto said.

Santiago Nieto

claims that the authorities have blocked the bank accounts of 15 people after the operation against fuel theft began on December 20.

Nieto also explained that according to 14,000 reports related to gas stations owners , there coincide with the states and municipalities where the fuel pipelines are located.

The head of the Federal Public Prosecutor's Office, Alejandro Gertz Manero , claims the authorities have requested a judge to launch a legal process against three high-ranking Pemex officials , who were in charge of the pipelines .

Gertz Manero

said that they have opened 1,700 investigations in relation to fuel theft and that they have seized 4.5 millions of fuel barrels.

The head of Mexico's Tax Administration Service (SAT), Margarita Ríos-Farjat , said that they found that 194 taxpayers linked to gas stations presented financial inconsistencies that amount to MXN $3,217 million.

“That sum is 1.5 times higher than the budget approved in 2019, to grant scholarships to students in primary, secondary, and higher education.”

Gertz Manero

explained that 54% of those inconsistencies, around MXN $1,742 million, come from gas stations in Mexico City, Michoacán, Mexico, Tamaulipas, Baja California, Jalisco, and Puebla.

He said that after the Finance Ministry's Intelligence Uni t requested it, the SAT has shared fiscal information of 32 gas station concessionaires that present unusual activity and was also requested the investigation of 200 other cases.

IMF in support of AMLO’s strategy against fuel theft

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