A mansion that smells of corruption (and not of Cuernavaca flowers)
Ah, the classic story of a public official and his inexplicable mansion. Chance? Inheritance from a distant uncle? Or the lottery jackpot that no one knew you played? The Morelos Prosecutor’s Office, in a rare fit of curiosity, decided to investigate Mirna Zavala Zúñiga, head of the state Treasury, for an alleged home worth 50 million pesos in an area where the square meter is worth more than her annual salary. What a surprise!
The property, located in the exclusive Vista Hermosa neighborhood (ironic name, considering how ugly the thing looks), was acquired in co-ownership with her husband, Israel Sergio González Macedo, who coincidentally also works for the state government. Coincidence? The prosecution, in a fit of skepticism, thinks not.
“It’s just a cistern… and a foundation… and maybe a jacuzzi”
Zavala, in an attempt to save his reputation (and his retirement), assured that there is only a cistern and some foundations on the land. Of course, nothing to do with a luxury mansion. Did they confuse the plans with those of a Dubai palace? The offended official declared that everything was duly reported. Although, curiously, he omitted to mention the small detail of the 50 million pesos that the finished property would be worth.
Meanwhile, Governor Margarita González Saravia, in a move that no one saw coming, announced that Zavala will leave office on August 15. Reason? An institutional restructuring. Of course, because merging secretariats always coincides with corruption scandals. To soften the blow, they offered Zavala a lesser position, but she, very dignified, preferred to retire. Or could it be that he saw what was coming?
The prosecutor Leonel Díaz Rogel, in a speech that sounded more like a soap opera script than an official statement, assured that they will act immediately (a word that in the government lexicon usually means “in a few years, if we don’t forget”). Of course, he remembered that the presumption of innocence applies, although in this case, the presumption of “something stinks” seems stronger.
The funniest (or tragic) thing is that this is not an isolated case. The prosecutor’s office has 120 investigations against former officials of the last administration. Could it be that in Morelos illicit enrichment is an extreme sport?
What’s next? Probably a long investigation, evasive statements and, hopefully, an official who ends up behind bars. But let’s not get our hopes up: in Mexico, justice usually moves slower than a bureaucratic procedure.
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