Recognizing that in the following days he will become familiar with the internal structure of the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) to know whether or not it is necessary to reinforce any area, its new head, Pablo Gómez, said that something that is certain is that it is necessary improve coordination with entities such as the Office of the Attorney General of the Republic (FGR), which stated “is already in line with the requirements of the 4T”, as well as other institutions such as the SAT; the Federal Prosecutor’s Office, the Public Function Secretariat, among others, with the aim of advancing in the fight against the “corrupt State” of “previous regimes”.
In a telephone interview with El Economista, Gómez also spoke of harmonizing criteria with the Judiciary in order to improve the impact of the fight against corruption.
—How do you assume this new assignment at the head of the FIU?
I feel good (…) I assume the responsibility, which is important, transcendental, of a Financial Intelligence Unit that in this six-year term, since the current government arrived, when we came to power, well, it changed completely, it is another thing, before it was not used to combat the corrupt state, but was part of the corrupt state.
We define the corrupt State as that State where corruption assumes a central role in governance, it is essential for the government function.
– What role should the FIU have in the fight against corruption?
The FIU has a series of powers that allow direct access to operations of illicit origin that is an important element of the corrupt State, they are the traces they leave and, not only the traces, but circulating. This is not to say that the FIU is the quintessential anti-corruption police, it is one of several institutions.
The tasks of the current moment in my opinion, the organic tasks are to review the collaboration agreement between the FGR, which was signed when it was the attorney general’s office, and the FIU in order to update it, that is already an antiquity, and the prosecutor’s office is autonomous , is already in line with the demands of the 4T; It is not a PRI or PAN attorney like the ones we had in the past, it is something else.
Also do them as the Public Function, with the Audit, with the SAT, with the Prosecutor’s Office. Everyone has to collaborate with each other and do it in the fastest way and within the same pitch, there has to be a synchrony to orchestrate a series of functions that are distributed, which all must come together, which is the fight against the corrupt State.
– Where do you see the highest concentration of corruption today?
For seasons this has gone from the central sector of the Federal Public Administration, to the parastatal sector, then it has returned to the central sector, it has been housed in social policy at times, it has stayed in the infrastructure, but it has always covered everything.
What needs to be done is a system of a little gear machine (with other institutions) … If the Judiciary, which is a very difficult part, would like to enter into this matter that they on their side, that we cannot make an agreement with the judiciary, but we could tie criteria (it would be the ideal).
In the case of (Francisco) Cabeza de Vaca (governor of Tamaulipas), the FIU was involved, the matter was presented by the prosecution (…) it has not been resolved, I do not know why.
He came to run into a minister who was confused; he made an impertinent allusion to a matter and it seems that this stops the Public Ministry of the Federation, which since when it should have applied the arrest warrant that it has.
I am going to discuss this matter slowly with our attorney general (Alejandro Gertz Manero).
What needs to be strengthened in the FIU?
That I don’t know. I know quite superficially the structure of the FIU because those who know its structure are those who are only there or, if anything, some tax authorities who are the ones who make the regulations, but well, I had never studied this matter. Well, what need did I have? I know what the attributions of the FIU are and now I know the structure but roughly, I could not reach a conclusion until I had direct knowledge of how the current organization chart is working. Apparently it is logical.
(On the other hand) there are many accounts that are frozen and that nobody claims for years, the owners do not appear because they do not want to appear; criminals, criminal structures, do not present resources and what about money? Well, the bank remains, but you have to find a solution to that problem.
—How do you rate the work done during your predecessor’s tenure?
I think they have done a good job because they monitor, because they care, because they are in it, in their work, we are going to see to what extent it is necessary to reinforce it.
AMLO defends new appointment; “Good decision” Nieto resigns
For President Andrés Manuel López Obrador it was good that Santiago Nieto Castillo resigned as head of the Financial Intelligence Unit (UIF) of the Ministry of Finance and Public Credit (SHCP) and that he was replaced by Pablo Gómez Álvarez.
“Well, I think it was a good decision for Santiago Nieto to present his resignation and I think the appointment of Pablo Gómez was also a decision, he is a man of integrity, honest, incorruptible. I have to say more? to attack opponents.
On Twitter, Nieto Castillo said yesterday that he appreciated “the expressions of affection and the invitations to different spaces, but in troubled times, silence and moderation should govern my conduct, as it has always been in my life. Silence, reflection and patience. First personal and family decisions and then political decisions ”. (Rolando Ramos)
Reference-www.eleconomista.com.mx