The Superior Audit of the Federation (ASF) carried out a review of the financial management of the National Institute of Transparency, Access to Information, and Protection of Personal Data (INAI) during the fiscal year 2023. Several irregularities have been identified, including non-compliance with the Regulations on Acquisitions, Leases, and Public Sector Services (RAAS). In particular, it is noted that the INAI did not submit weekly reports on the acquisition of flights with a company, which violates the provisions of the existing service provision contracts. Furthermore, it was found that the reports and documents required by the agency lacked the signatures of the responsible individuals.
In total, an amount pending clarification of 8 million 331 thousand 866.94 pesos has been detected. Another highlighted aspect in the ASF report is the lack of effective measures to prevent nepotism within the INAI. Despite having an Ethics Code that expressly prohibits the hiring of relatives up to the fourth degree of kinship, it is reported that this regulation was not adequately applied, as public servants with family ties were found working in the institution. The report identified a total of 62 public servants in the autonomous agency who had relatives working within the institution.
Regarding financial findings, it is noteworthy that the ASF analyzed a total of 665.25 million pesos, which represents 64.2% of the universe selected for the review. Unjustified expenditures, lack of control and supervision in the management of public funds, inconsistencies in documentation, and compliance with service contracts, among other aspects, were observed.
One of the main findings was the payment for 37 unauthorized positions, which generated a possible undue expense of 5 million 910 thousand 700 pesos. The case of duplicate payments to service providers is also mentioned, such as contract number OA/C003/2023 that benefited Despacho Milán Brito, S.C. and the company 'El Mundo es Tuyo,' where an estimated detriment to public finances of 1 million 810 thousand 296 pesos is noted.
Additionally, it is indicated that the INAI paid a total of 1.2267 million pesos to B2B Mensajería, where it was evidenced that the established regulations were not met. The Audit also warned about the existence of public servants with kinships working in the same assigned area, without a mechanism in place to identify these kinships and prevent potential conflicts of interest or cases of nepotism.
