Baja California Governor Francisco Vega denied any wrongdoing after allegations of corruption and illegal enrichment were brought by a Mexican television and radio anchor.
In a press release the state said the Mexican government has not officially communicated regarding any investigation launched against any local authority.
The governor has presented in time his property report that includes all his belongings, and as a businessman he has made all his tax reports, the state said.
Journalist Joaquín López-Doriga said on his television show “Chapultepec 18” and on his Milenio daily newspaper column “En Privado” that Gov. Vega is being investigated by the Tax Administration Service, similar to the U.S. Internal Revenue Service, in connection to his properties, especially after taking office Nov. 2013.
Congresswoman Nancy Sánchez, a Mexicali member of the Institutional Revolutionary Party, or PRI in Spanish, said Gov. Vega must address the issue and answer questions about the “disproportional increase” of his wealth.
“It is not through press releases as allegations of this kind must be addressed,” she said. “As a politician and public official Baja California’s governor is obligated to address and respond to what residents know and question for a time.”
On June 2013, she filed a lawsuit while chairing the state committee against then-gubernatorial candidate Francisco Vega for illicit enrichment and embezzlement during his tenure as Mayor of Tijuana.
The accusations have not been investigated by the state Attorney General’s office, Sánchez said.
“The allegations of illicit enrichment against the governor and other state public officials are our daily bread in Baja California,” said PRI Assemblyman Alejandro Arregui. “But there are other allegations of misuse of public funds and conflicts of interest in the execution of the state’s public administration.”
The PRI Assembly Leader said his colleagues must approve laws to address corruption, transparency and accountability to obligate office-holders to address accusations.
Arregui recalled former Sonora Governor Guillermo Padrés –member of the National Action Party like Vega- was also accused of the same charges two years before leaving office and no legal ways to stop wrongdoings.
