US$515 million in funds misused over last 3 years, reports Auditor General

Mexico's Federal Auditor General, Juan Manuel Portal Martínez, reports that over the last 3 years, over 700 complaints have been filed related to the misuse of public funds totaling over US$515,000,000.

In an interview he gave during a presentation on Mexico's new National Anticorruption System, Portal Martínez said that “with a few exceptions,” the complaints filed with the Attorney's General Office come from virtually all states in Mexico.

The Attorney General has launched investigations on account of these allegations; however, the Federal Auditor General was reluctant to release any specific names of public servants involved in the accusations.

With regards to the new National Anticorruption System, Portal Martínez said he's confident that the new tool will be fully up and running within a maximum of one year. However, he warned that it will not eradicate bad practices overnight.

He expects the new system to help the Mexican government have better and more control over public matters, such as its treasury, and he hopes that oversight of finances improve overtime, in turn helping to restore some of the public's confidence in the government.