ASF launches probe into INE, electoral bodies over 8.87B pesos

The head of the Superior Audit Office of the Federation (ASF), Aureliano Hernández Palacios, reported that he initiated an ex officio investigation into alleged irregularities related to the National Electoral Institute (INE), local public electoral bodies, supplier companies GC and GCH, and public servants, after identifying operations worth 8,870.3 million pesos among various public entities between 2014 and 2026.

Of that amount, 790 million 3 thousand pesos correspond to local electoral bodies, the auditor general detailed before deputies during the delivery of the 2025 Public Account.

“This investigation also includes all public, local, and electoral bodies, as well as companies, suppliers, and public servants who may be related to the events,” he said.

During his message, he explained that, through various information requests, the ASF is conducting a detailed study to identify the origin of the conduct from the early years in which operations were established between electoral bodies and business groups. The goal, he indicated, is to combat corruption related to the use of resources allocated to these functions.

As part of the findings, it was noted that suppliers of one of the companies analyzed worked with companies dedicated to stamping invoices whose certifications were revoked for operating with fraudulent invoicing companies. These transactions amounted to 21.3 million pesos.

In addition, he indicated that another of the identified companies is suspended from the importers registry.

The head of the ASF also reported that operations were detected between companies belonging to the same business groups, in which the company that wins a contract subcontracts to another company that participates in the bidding processes and is part of the groups under investigation.

He also noted that companies with minimal or no employee records were identified, despite billing hundreds of millions of pesos. Some have fewer than five employees, and others have none.

Another line of research relates to possible barriers to competition that could favor the awarding of contracts and affect prices and contracting conditions, to the detriment of public assets.

In the intelligence analyses that gave rise to the investigations, the ASF identified networks of links between both business groups and officials, as well as connections between public servants and different companies.

“I want to be emphatic: these investigations will be carried out with absolute independence, objectivity, technical rigor and full respect for due process,” he stated.

He added that the Audit Office’s responsibility is to clarify the facts, preserve the evidence, and pursue the corresponding legal actions. “If there are grounds for investigation, the Superior Audit Office of the Federation will act in accordance with the law,” he stated.

For his part, Ricardo Monreal, the Morena coordinator in the Chamber of Deputies, stated that the auditor and his team will deepen the investigation into the INE.

“It is their obligation, and we will demand that they intervene, both in the Internal Control Body (OIC) and the National Electoral Institute (INE). The OICE must continue with the investigations and complaints, and the Superior Audit Office of the Federation must do the same within their respective powers and functions,” he said.

What Was Found

The presentation released by the ASF detailed that GC accumulated the largest amount, with 6.6132 billion pesos, equivalent to 74.6 percent of the total. Meanwhile, the GHC group registered contracts for 2.2571 billion pesos, representing 25.4 percent.

According to the presentation, the GC group is made up of the companies CJVLY, Formas Finas, Formas Finas de México and Corona J.

For its part, the GHC group includes ZEG, C Graph, Seriplast, Reconstrucción y Comunicación, and TOL.

The ASF also reported that of the amounts accumulated by both groups, 3,790.3 million pesos corresponded to operations with electoral bodies.

Among the entities with the largest amounts are Veracruz, with 484.4 million pesos; Oaxaca, with 370.3 million; Coahuila, with 366.3 million; Puebla, with 286.6 million; and Nuevo León, with 253.9 million pesos.

Also included are Baja California, with 223.3 million pesos; Aguascalientes, with 211 million; State of Mexico, with 163.9 million; Jalisco, with 159.5 million; and Yucatán, with 151.1 million pesos.

The ASF presentation also reports 750.2 million pesos corresponding to 16 other state electoral bodies.

Investigations into the Management of Guadalupe Taddei

The auditor stated that he will review all indications that would allow him to determine if there was a conflict of interest, influence peddling, or misconduct by public officials during the administration of former INE councilor Guadalupe Taddei.

“We are reviewing practically all of them, not only with the technical and professional characteristics that we use for our investigation processes, which, as I mentioned, include precautionary measures that the Superior Audit Office of the Federation had never used before. In addition, we have the maximum capacity to intervene directly,” he said.

He stated that “all necessary measures will be taken to ensure that those responsible are punished and that public funds are always returned.”

ASF Detects Triangulation of Resources in Nuevo León and Sinaloa

The auditor general reported that the ASF identified in Nuevo León and Sinaloa schemes of triangulation and simulation of operations to transfer public resources through payments to suppliers, whose final destination would be related to bank accounts of individuals and legal entities that maintain family ties with public servants.

“In Nuevo León and Sinaloa, we identified triangulation schemes, simulation of operations, as well as the identification of patterns for the transfer of public resources through the payment of suppliers whose final destination would be related to bank accounts of legal entities and individuals who maintain family ties with public servants,” he noted.