The president of the PRI, Alejandro Moreno Cárdenas, not only faces scandals over his luxurious lifestyle, excesses, and alleged illicit enrichment during his tenure as governor of Campeche, but also for his crude language and attacks on journalists, entrepreneurs, and politicians. Alito, as he is known by friends and critics alike, is now embroiled in controversies for squandering party funds on contracts awarded to companies owned by friends and associates, many of them shell companies.
This column first revealed—before Campeche Governor Layda Sansores publicly exposed him through private recordings—that Alito engaged in multimillion-dollar real estate deals as governor. Starting with this report, we will outline several irregular contracts awarded over the past three years using PRI funds.
Through shell companies, Alito funneled at least one-third of the 570 million pesos allocated to the PRI for total contracts since September 2019 to close associates and political allies. This means that one out of every three pesos awarded by the party to suppliers is allegedly linked to acts of corruption.
Five groups of companies benefited from Alito Moreno’s contracts. These include companies from Campeche owned by individuals close to the politician, firms linked to the Green Party, companies registered in Tabasco and Oaxaca, and others connected to a network of Senate contractors.
In the case of the Campeche-based companies, contracts worth 89 million pesos were identified for services such as political, legal, administrative, and financial consulting, implementing digital communication strategies, and catering services for party events.
Two unusual contracts stand out, amounting to a total of 51 million pesos, awarded to Integra Estrategias Globales SC. The primary partner of this firm, established in August 2022, is Miguel Ángel Sulub Caamal, former president of the PRI State Steering Committee in Campeche and former Secretary of Social and Regional Development under the state government.
Another leader of this firm is María Luisa Sahagún Arcila, former Secretary of Administration and Governmental Innovation in Campeche. She was responsible for securing two significant PRI contracts in February 2020 and February 2021 for “training, promotion, and leadership development of women in politics.”
Integra Estrategias Globales shares its physical address with SeFe Publicidad, SA de CV, which received two contracts from the PRI National Executive Committee (CEN) in January and October 2021. These contracts, totaling around 7.4 million pesos, were for “rapid response laboratories, digital strategies, and other types of digital advertising.”
SeFe Publicidad was founded in September 2019, coinciding with Alejandro Moreno’s assumption of the PRI leadership. Its shareholders, Sebastián Maya Romero and Federico Aranda Barrera, aged 26 and 31, respectively, listed a residential address in Corregidora, Querétaro, in the supplier registries.
Another beneficiary, Servicios Administrativos Fugith S de RL de CV, received a 30-million-peso consulting contract from the PRI CEN in March 2022. The company, created in December 2019, lists Kelly Maribi Estrella García as its legal representative. She is also a witness to contracts signed by Integra Estrategias Globales and a resident of Campeche.
Gastrosureste Alimentos SA de CV also stands out among the Campeche-based beneficiaries. Owned by Carmen María Cabañas Ortiz and her daughter, Susana Guadalupe Hernández Cabañas, they run La Pigua de Campeche, Alito’s favorite restaurant.
PS
Alito is reportedly unwelcome in the “Va por México” coalition and among former PRI presidents and historical leaders, some of whom are equally or more controversial than he is. The Fourth Transformation (4T) government has momentarily shielded him. What lies ahead for a “leader” politically wounded and cornered?
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