Investigation Reveals Ex-Yucatan Tourism Secretary’s Misuse of Funds

The former Tourism Secretary of Yucatan is under investigation for an alleged scheme involving kickbacks to hotels, travel agencies, and tour operators. In return for these kickbacks, she supposedly granted them financial benefits, leading to a significant flow of funds of questionable origin.

During Mauricio Vila Dosal's term, 4.2 billion pesos were designated to the Yucatan Tourism Secretariat (SEFOTUR) and tourism trusts to stimulate tourism activity in Yucatan. However, Juan José Martín Pacheco, President of the Association of Hotels of Yucatan, claims that despite having the largest budget in its history, the state's competitiveness declined and hotel occupancy rates dropped.

Reports suggest that the former Secretary, Michelle Fridman, took international trips with her partner and friends while these funds were being misused. These trips were allegedly justified as strategies to attract investment to the state, but no concrete results were ever presented.

The State Anticorruption Prosecutor's Office is also looking into the withdrawal of 28.1 million pesos from SEFOTUR funds during the final days of Fridman's tenure. These funds were reportedly transferred to accounts in Mexico City under the name of one of her closest associates, which has heightened suspicions about Fridman's financial management.

Carlos Murillo Ku, the so-called "anti-corruption czar," has been tasked with conducting a comprehensive analysis to determine or assign responsibility in this case.

Fridman currently serves as the head of the Jalisco Tourism Secretariat, where she is expected to manage a budget of 632 million pesos in 2025. However, her previous tenure in Yucatan is already causing concern among tourism sector entrepreneurs and local authorities.