The mayor of La Magdalena Contreras, Fernando Mercado, filed more than 15 complaints - including administrative and criminal - against his predecessor, Luis Gerardo Quijano for various irregularities linked to resource diversion, abuse of functions, improper hiring, and various acts of omission, among other crimes committed between 2021 and 2024.
In a press conference, Mercado, a Morena mayor, once again pointed to Quijano of the PRI, whom he defeated in last year's elections. Furthermore, he denounced that 15 disqualified public servants were hired who held positions at the management level within the administration, which he deemed illegal and unethical.
For his part, Mercado mentioned that the previous administration doubled the economic limits allowed by law in direct assignment contracts, reaching 38% of the local budget when only up to 20% is permitted. During the handover process, 239 observations were made that are being investigated by the local Comptroller's Office.
The mayor detailed that the administrative and criminal complaints filed are related to crimes such as illegal use of powers, illegal exercise of public service, administrative infractions, diversion of resources, abuse of functions, and hiring of disqualified public officials, among others.
According to Mercado, a "24 million pesos administrative gap" has been detected in the jurisdiction due to duplicate payments to suppliers who claim to have refunded the money, but which has not been recorded in public funds. He also denounced the closure of nearly 50 establishments and projects, forced to pay fines that have not been registered in local finances.
Regarding local works carried out after the 2024 elections, Mercado stated that his predecessor did not hire external supervision mechanisms, resulting in the lack of controls that caused the death of two workers in approximately 50 contracts.
The transition in La Magdalena Contreras was described as complex due to the differences between both teams, according to reports from LPO.
