According to new research, Notimex has received and exercised a budget of almost 500 million pesos, but since 2020, it has not produced news… So, what has the news agency used all that money for after the strike of its workers?
Notimex with a budget of almost 500 million pesos
In accordance with a new journalistic work of ProcessNotimex has received and exercised a budget of almost 500 million pesos… aaalthough, since June 26, 2020, the news agency has not produced news about the strike of its workersso the question arises as to what they have spent all that money on.
For this reason, the magazine investigated and had access to Notimex’s financial statements, with which they realized that under the direction of San Juana Martínez, these public resources have been used “in the opacity”, in ambiguous expensesas in alleged hiring of consultancies, computer services and training.
The financial situation of the agency
Proceso points out that in the three years that the Notimex workers’ strike has lasted, AMLO’s government has delivered 458 million 183 thousand pesos to this news agency. Money that, according to this investigation, the administration of Sanjuana Martínez has exercised outside the supervision of the Superior Audit of the Federation (ASF).
But, also to this large amount of money, are added 195 million 644 thousand pesos that the government delivered to Notimex with the 2023 budgetwhich will surely be the last, since the president of Tabasco announced a few weeks ago that the news agency will disappear Like Peter Parker in the Avengers movie.
While by the end of 2022, Notimex faced a short-term debt of 258 million pesosto which were added 174 million 771 thousand pesos for the many labor lawsuits he faced for unjustified dismissals.
Let’s remember that the workers’ strike exploded in February 2020 by a wave of 245 layoffsthe closure of correspondents and a very unfriendly administration of Sanjuana.
And since this strike was validated by the Federal Conciliation and Arbitration Board (JFCA) on June 8, 2020, the news agency had to close the curtain and suspend its activities; with which, in addition, He has not published news on his official page since June 26 of that same year.
What has Notimex spent its budget on despite not having produced news?
Despite the fact that Notimex no longer operated normally, according to Proceso, the news agency’s management team continued to manage huge amounts of public resources. For example, according to its audited financial statements from 2020 to 2022, prepared by the accounting firms De Anda, Torres, Gallardo y Cía and Martínez Iturbe y Asociados, spent 457 million 122 thousand pesos during the last three years.
Yes indeed, most of it was spent on salary paymentsalthough with a marked reduction in the payroll between 2020 and 2022, since it went from 147 million to 91 million 770 thousand pesos.
And another big part about 84 million pesoswere spent on presumed “general services” such as rent, but the same in hiring “consultants, computer services, training, among others”.
In addition, according to a 2022 report, which the Martínez Iturbe y Asociados law firm delivered to Sanjuana Martínez on March 17, the agency spent 116 million 34 thousand pesos last year for “non-existent results”.
Yes, Notimex did not meet its institutional goals, which consisted of making and disseminating 170,955 journalistic products, and registering sales of 42 million pesos. However, the year ended and the agency did not publish anything, but it had a collection of 546 thousand pesos, equivalent to 7% of its goal..
Also according to the document consulted by the magazine, Notimex continued to pay millions of pesos to the company Corporativo de Cobranza BR and EMPAwhich rented the house located at 15 Africa Street, in Coyoacán, to the Sanjuana Martínez team, where an “alternate headquarters” of the agency was installed.
And finally, the report indicated that in 2021, the news agency owed two million 894 thousand pesos to the company, and that in 2022 it owed five million 375 thousand pesos, which would mean that it continued to rent the property for its operations which, according to the JFCA, are illegal and violate the constitutional right to strike.
Anyway… If you want to continue reading this research, see issue 2428 of Proceso magazine.
