Tijuana, August 20. Secretary General of Government Alfredo Álvarez Cárdenas justified his request to the Attorney General's Office (FGR) to intervene in the comments made by journalist Dianeth Pérez Arreola regarding the bidding process for the La Nopalera water treatment plant in the municipality of Tecate, regarding a possible relationship between the winning company and organized crime, because he is obligated to do so when faced with allegations of this nature.
"When there's a confession of that severity, I think it's a matter that needs to be thoroughly investigated; talking about organized crime is a big deal," he said in response to questions from the press during Governor Marina del Pilar Avila Olmeda's weekly press conference in Tijuana.
After Governor Marina del Pilar Avila Olmeda responded that she would "gladly" appear before the Attorney General's Office regarding this same case, and described the journalist's statement in response to questions about the fact that giving notice to the federal authority was considered an act of intimidation as "a grave, delicate, and serious accusation," Álvarez Cárdenas maintained that the accusation is also being investigated by the Anti-Corruption Secretariat as "a separate package."
"We are obligated when there is an apparent connection to an act that arose from an administrative act, such as the bidding process; when someone points out or claims there is a connection to organized crime, it is a serious accusation, not only for the person or company—in this case, the winner—which is the one involved... it is obviously a serious accusation for the officials," he explained.
