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Lack of transparency in Mexico City?

After reviewing the goods declarations of the 16 mayors in Mexico City, we found that 15 of them don't own any property

Layda Sansores is the only who declaring the ownership of assets - Photo: File Photo/EL UNIVERSAL
07/07/2019 |08:35
Redacción El Universal
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Although there is a lot of talk in regards to transparency and accountability from the government towards society, these measures are a dead letter, since old practices seem to prevail , for example, the use of a frontman and the omission of certain information in their goods declarations . After reviewing the goods declarations of the 16 mayors in Mexico City , EL UNIVERSAL found that 15 of them don't own any property, vehicle, or investment.

After browsing M exico City's Comptroller General, EL UNIVERSAL found that only the Álvaro Obregón mayor, Layda Sansores , declared the ownership of properties and land, as well as bank investments, as the result of her work as a public servant .

The investigation shows the disparity in the financial remuneration received by the different mayors , since at least a third of them, only 5 mayors, earn more than half of the MXN $11 million that the Mexico City government pays them annually. For example, the Cuauhtémoc mayor, Néstor Núñez , claims he earns MXN $3 million and that his only assets are a vehicle and 4 cards.

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In contrast, the Mexico City mayor, Claudia Sheinbaum , claims that before becoming the mayor, she earned a modest salary of over MXN $15,000 per month and says she has no savings because the Christmas bonus she received when she was the Tlalpan mayor was spent during her electoral campaign ; she also claimed that she received financial support from her family during the campaign and that she didn't receive any money as a candidate.

Since these 15 mayors claim they don't own any properties, society should demand information, for example, their addresses and if the property is owned by a family member or if it is a rental, which would be illogical given the salaries perceived by the officials. This case is another proof that transparency is not taken seriously. It is time to be clear and congruent .

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