On September 30, 2021, elements of the Mexican Navy entered the facilities of the Commission for the Protection against Sanitary Risks (Cofepris).
That day there was a strong and ostentatious operation to preserve the perimeter security of the regulatory agency’s facilities and each and every one of the floors of the building it occupies.
The official explanation then was that the operation was only to reinforce physical security.
Yesterday, during the morning conference at the National Palace, the head of Cofepris, Alejandro Svarch, announced that this institution fired 32 officials for corruption and that the identification of this network was carried out in collaboration with the Naval Intelligence Unit of the Secretary of the Navy. .
He said that the officials who occupied from the ownership of administrative units, to adjudicators and verifiers, whose sole purpose was to enrich themselves at the expense of the government and to the detriment of the health of Mexicans, had been removed.
He also reported that the new personnel were selected through strict tests and confidence examinations in the Naval Intelligence Unit and personnel from the Secretary of the Navy were placed in strategic positions, in addition to the creation of the Intelligence Center Against Sanitary Risks, with the purpose to provide a vision of national security to the work of Cofepris. He did not say more about it. Instead he used allegorical language to describe the corruption that has been entrenched in that institution for 20 years.
He spoke of the basements of corruption: 1.- The discretionary handling of company requests, in a dark archive; 2.- A surveillance based on extortion; 3.- The direct operation of corruption.
With these “basements” of corruption – he stressed – the creation of artificial pharmaceutical monopolies was allowed, access to medicines for sale to the highest bidder; agency or coyotaje offices; the extortion of thousands of companies and businessmen, under the threat of closure and; the installation of interest groups that pulled the strings of foreign trade and the pharmaceutical industry.
There were no accusations or specific accusations against the industry. On the contrary, Svarch recognized that the regulated industry is characterized by its honesty, transparency and trustworthiness.
He said that there are chambers and companies that are on the side of Cofepris because they are convinced that Mexico can have a first-level regulatory agency without corrupt practices and with transparency, which allows the flourishing of economic activities that generate jobs for everyone.
What he did not say was what was revealed at another time and in another forum by the Secretary of Health, Jorge Alcocer.
On October 15, during his appearance in the Senate of the Republic (for the gloss of the Third Government Report) he explained that the participation (he refused to use the term occupation) of the Secretary of the Navy, in Cofepris, was due to the discretionary issuance of import permits for chemical precursors; there was corruption and it was necessary to remove officials.
Marina, the official said, was called to give its opinion, not to invade; because this falls into the field of chemicals that are very important in all customs and on all beaches in the country.
Unofficially it was known in those days that Cofepris personnel in the areas related to controlled medicines and drug regulation would have been fired.
The person in charge of health policy in Mexico did not mention it, but days before, Cofepris announced several changes in its organization chart, some of them with civilian and other marine relays.
It is positive that the Mexican government thoroughly investigates and punishes those responsible for irregular practices at all levels.
The size of the risk to national security that they should have diagnosed, to call and support the Navy, is striking.
The militarization of the health agency could be criticized, but in any case it would be the least bad of issues, if, as Alcocer revealed, Cofepris had become a source of discretionary issuance of import permits for chemical precursors. At the time
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Rich and Powerful
He has worked continuously in newspapers, magazines, radio, television and the Internet, in the last 31 years he has specialized in business, finance and economics. He is one of the three hosts of the program Alebrijes, Águila o Sol, a program specialized in economic issues that is broadcast on Foro TV.