The National Institute of Transparency, Access to Information and Personal Data Protection (INAI) faces an uncertain future after President Claudia Sheinbaum rejected the agency's proposal to prevent its disappearance. The president dismissed the alternative presented by Adrián Alcalá, the president commissioner of INAI, which aimed to avoid the elimination of the institute by reducing its budget to 334 million pesos and the elimination of positions.
In a recent press conference, Sheinbaum stated that the disappearance of INAI is a matter that corresponds to the Congress of the Union and state congresses. When asked about Alcalá's proposal, the president pointed out that the issue has already been widely discussed and now depends on the approval of the Chamber of Deputies, the Senate, and state congresses.
During a previous conference, reporter Nancy Flores highlighted possible cases of corruption within INAI, such as the alleged charging of employees up to 60% of their salaries to keep their positions. In response, Sheinbaum expressed that as an autonomous agency, INAI lacks meaning and that it is essential to ensure transparency at all levels of government.
The proposal to eliminate INAI is part of a set of initiatives sent by former president Andrés Manuel López Obrador and will be discussed in the Chamber of Deputies on Tuesday, November 12, and Wednesday, November 13. In addition to INAI, the initiative includes the elimination of six other autonomous agencies, with the aim of allocating the savings to a Pension Fund for Well-Being.
If approved, the disappearance of INAI must be supported by at least 17 state congresses since it involves a constitutional reform. Amid this situation, President Sheinbaum revealed that the Ministry of Public Function will be transformed into the Anti-Corruption and Good Governance Secretariat, under the direction of Raquel Buenrostro, who will also be in charge of issues related to transparency and combating corruption.
