After blaming the “previous government,” headed by Morena party member Rutilio Escandón, for the rise of extortion, the Attorney General of Chiapas, Jorge Luis Llaven Abarca, announced that he will refer the matter to the State Audit Office to investigate the awarding of multimillion-dollar public works contracts to the company of drug lord Horacio de la Cruz Mazariegos, “El Botanas.”
Llaven Abarca currently serves as State Prosecutor in the administration of fellow Morena party member Eduardo Ramírez.
In its Monday edition, REFORMA reported that “Construcciones y Diseños la Cruz Gallegos S.A. de C.V,” owned by “El Botanas,” has received around twenty multimillion-dollar public works contracts from municipal governments on the Chiapas coast.
In a telephone interview, the Attorney General explained that he knew the drug lord “maintains a criminal cell” in the border region and resides in neighboring Guatemala.
“Regarding the issue of contracts, we will investigate through the State Audit Office, which is the body responsible for ensuring the proper use of public spending. We will inform the State Audit Office so they can investigate whether they are complying with all regulations,” he stated.
“And, if not, they should file the corresponding complaint, and we will investigate any improper conduct, including criminal misconduct, by any mayor in the region. In previous administrations, there was political neglect regarding municipal security. Today’s article mentions alleged links between organized crime and some municipal political actors, and that this has favored contracts and some types of agreements held by the municipalities.
“We are very vigilant, and since we arrived, we have combated violence and crime in all regions of Chiapas. The article addresses the border region, the Soconuzco area, municipalities that border Guatemala. We have a presence there, and even the collection of land taxes, livestock taxes, gas station taxes, and coffee taxes have already been stopped, Llaven Abarca reported.
Throughout the border region, the Prosecutor noted, “crime has been increasing, gaining resources through threats to the population; that’s over, and we’re alert to any complaints that may be filed. We’ve arrested more than 3,500 people under this new administration.”
“Is this individual still receiving contracts from some governments?” he was asked.
“Let’s not forget that municipal governments are for three years, and our administration began in October. I have no information that they have any kind of contractual relationship with public works in the municipalities, but they have not been part of any complaint or investigation involving the State Attorney General’s Office.”
“However, we will take note and will inform the State Audit Office so they can intervene in the administrative aspect, rather than the criminal aspect,” Llavén Abarca stated.
The Prosecutor said that “the public information that has been circulating regarding ‘El Botanas’ always indicates that he maintains a criminal cell in that region. We, along with federal authorities—the Navy, the Defense Ministry, the National Guard, the Federal Prosecutor’s Office, and the State Prosecutor’s Office—are investigating any allegations.”
Llavén Abarca explained that he knew that “this individual resides in neighboring Guatemala; we are very attentive to any public appearance and could arrest him, as he has many open investigations, both federal and state.
“Since December, we have learned of extortions against ranchers and businessmen in Tuxtla Chico, Suchiate, Cacahoatán, Metapa de Domínguez, Unión Juárez, and all the municipalities on the border with Guatemala. Small municipalities were extorted and had to pay their dues, and most of the productive sector had to pay their dues, and I have no doubt that the mayors themselves were also threatened and pressured before we arrived.
“Upon our arrival, we took control of all the regions of the state. The famous dues (property) that many people were paying have been eliminated, and we are closely monitoring any further complaints. There was a lot of interference in the political actions of the municipalities through threats and intimidation from the previous government, which allowed the wave of violence to grow, and criminal groups also had influence in the same politics.”
Source: reforma
