Two cabinet members under scrutiny for their assets

On Monday, Communications and Transport Minister Javier Jiménez Espriú explained why he had not disclosed he owned a condominium in the United States on his estate declaration issued last year. He said that he had transferred the property to his son before taking office.

Communications and Transport Minister, Javier Jiménez Espriú

, became the second official to face public scrutiny over asset declarations in the new Mexican government , which is based on a strong transparency platform .

Jiménez Espriú

omitted to disclose the property , located in Houston, Texas , which is valued at MXN $6.6 million, according to newspaper Reforma . The information comes after President López Obrador announced that every official in his government should declare their assets , even of close relatives.

In a statement, Jiménez Espriú said that his wife had acquired the condo in 1992, and in 2016 “it was donated to a company in which, with all transparency, I served as administrator. Prior to my return as a public official , the shares of that company, which were in my name, were transferred to the ownership of my son, Javier Jiménez Gutiérrez ,” he said.

Previously, Interior Minister Olga Sánchez Cordero found herself on the spotlight after it was revealed that she had not disclosed a penthouse in Houston that she and her husband have co-owned since 2009. Sánchez said that she had disclosed the penthouse and asked the Public Administration Ministry , a government auditor , to explain why it was not made public.

Irma Sandoval,

the Public Administration Minister , said that the property’s disclosure was withheld to protect the privacy of its co-owner.

The retired Supreme Court minister and now Interior Minister earns MXN $120,583 per month, as well as her pension, MXN $228,078; that is, she makes MXN $348,661 per month.

Since taking office in December , President López Obrador has ditched the presidential residence , flies on economy class , and drives a Volkswagen Jetta .

Mexico falls again in 2018 Corruption Perception Index

gm