Ex-Governor’s Brother Arrested on Corruption Charges in Mexico

MEXICO CITY – Carlos Mateo Aguirre Rivero, the brother of former Guerrero Gov. Angel Aguirre, and several other individuals were arrested on corruption charges, Mexican Criminal Investigations Agency director Tomas Zeron said.

Investigators “have determined that a group of people, including former public servants in the state of Guerrero,” had state and federal funds deposited in their personal bank accounts, Zeron said.

The suspects, however, did not have any corporate or business relationships with companies that received public works contracts in Guerrero, the federal official said.

“It was determined, moreover, that relatives of the former public servants linked to these illegal transactions served as legal representatives, had power of attorney and were authorized (signers) on bank accounts of the different firms via which the funds were diverted,” Zeron said.

Funds from the Federal Electricity Commission, Banobras, the Federal Treasury, the State Water Commission, the State Public Safety Council and the Guerrero Highway and Airport Infrastructure Commission were diverted and ended up in personal bank accounts.

Some 287 million pesos ($19.16 million) was diverted to the suspects’ personal accounts between January 2012 and September 2014 via the Constructora Travesa, Comercializadora 2003 and Comercializadora Topacio corporations, Zeron said.

The Federal Police arrested the suspects on Tuesday on arrest warrants issued by a federal judge in Mexico state, which surrounds the Federal District and forms part of the Mexico City metropolitan area, Zeron said.

The other suspects under arrest are Luis Angel Aguirre Perez, Paulo Ignacio Hughes Acosta, Mauricio Francisco Hughes Acosta, Alejandro Carlos Hughes Acosta and Jorge Eduardo Hughes Acosta, the federal official said, adding that “other people” were also in custody.

Angel Aguirre, a member of the leftist Party of the Democratic Revolution, or PRD, stepped down as Guerrero’s governor in October in the wake of the disappearance of 43 education students in the city of Iguala.