ISSSTE Accused of Corruption by Former Employee

Omissions during the administration of Pedro Zenteno, General Director, ISSSTE, allegedly led to the illegal payment of over MX$800 million (US$40.2 million) to the pharmaceutical company Selecciónes Médicas del Centro, claimed José Febo Trujeque, former Legal Director ISSSTE, reported Animal Político.

The accusations point to the alleged embezzlement of millions between 2019 and 2020, when Zenteno served as Director of Finance Administration at ISSSTE. Selecciónes Médicas del Centro, part of Grupo Fármacos Especializados, had sued the institute for debts amounting to over MX$1.18 billion (US$59.5 million) for the purchase of masks and medical materials. In June 2019, the judge in charge of the procedure determined that ISSSTE had to pay MX$831 million (USS41.8 million) to the company. The institute later issued 760 invoices amounting to over MX$790 million (US$39.7million).

During the second session of the initial hearing held earlier this month before a judge at Reclusorio Norte, Trujeque claimed that in Aug. 2019, Raúl García Robles, then deputy Director of Administration and Budget, ISSSTE, issued allegedly false documents stating that the institute had not made any payment to the pharmaceutical company. Trujeque also claimed that, when Zenteno was asked to report and provide documents concerning existing payments to Selecciónes Médicas del Centro, the now director of the ISSSTE "failed to request a report from his deputy director of accounting."

Due to the of lack evidence of the invoice payments, in 2020, ISSSTE transferred MX$831 million (USS41.8 million) to Selecciones Medicas del Centro. However, ISSSTE’s Administration Directorate later identified that the vouchers did exist to justify the payments and alleged that Trujeque’s actions had not been adequate, leading it to file a complaint with Mexico’s General Attorney’s Office (FGR).