Page 12 - aruba-today-20190711

A12 WORLD NEWS
Thursday 11 July 2019

Mexico’s treasury secretary resigns, cites interference

By MARK STEVENSON to connect tourist resorts
Associated Press and pre-Hispanic archaeo-
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mex- logical sites on the Yucatan
ico’s treasury secretary re- Peninsula.
signed Tuesday, complain- Alfredo Coutino, Lat-
ing of the appointment in America director at
of unqualified officials by Moody’s Analytics, said
“influential people in the one of the big fears is that
current administration who López Obrador’s social pro-
have clear conflicts of in- grams and building proj-
terest.” ects could hurt the govern-
Carlos Urzua, a longtime ment’s drive to avoid bud-
ally of President Andrés get deficits.
Manuel López Obrador, “He has promoted the main
did not specify who he infrastructure projects. The
meant. But his resignation question is does he have
letter suggested that ideol- the money to finance those
ogy might be involved. projects or not,” Coutino
Urzua wrote that economic said. “Where’s the money
policy should be “free of coming from for all these
extremism, whether that be social programs? I think
right or left,” but said “that that one of the pressures
belief was not reflected” that Carlos Urzua had was
by the administration. He This Dec. 14, 2017 photo shows Carlos Urzua during a press conference where he was presented that we don’t have money
also accused López Obra- as a cabinet member of presidential candidate Andrés Manuel López Obrador in Mexico City. to finance all these social
dor of making policy deci- Associated Press programs.”
sions “without sufficient jus- tary Arturo Herrera to re- stability and confidence in López Obrador has sought Coutino said Urzua had
tification.” place Urzua and said his financial markets. to appease the business provided some confidence
Urzua’s resignation came job would be “to create Some observers specu- community, but has also for investors, and his resig-
at a sensitive time for López wealth, in order to distrib- lated Urzua had been an- drawn criticism for pushing nation roiled markets, with
Obrador, who faces threats ute wealth.” gered by Lopez Obrador’s ahead on costly pet proj- stocks dropping about 1.6
of tariffs from the United Herrera served as chief of insistence on spending ects and canceling a part- percent and the peso fall-
States and downgrades finances for López Obrador money on pet projects, like ly built Mexico City airport. ing about 1.4%, to 19.16 per
from credit rating agen- when he was Mexico City building a new oil refinery The president has gone $1.
cies. mayor in the early 2000s and renovating others. on an unceasing austerity “It’s a big shock,” he said.
López Obrador said he had and has also worked for the But Herrera said the bulk drive to reduce spending “The main question is this
accepted Urzua’s resigna- World Bank. of new investments at the on government salaries, going to be just a transi-
tion, but did not respond Herrera said he did not state-run oil company, Pe- but has also created a se- tory negative event, or is it
to the accusations. He ac- know what problems Urzua mex, would be in explora- ries of new direct-grant going to the beginning of
knowledged Urzua had not was referring to in his resig- tion and production, to re- cash payment programs pieces falling apart.”
agreed with some deci- nation letter. He pledged to verse falling oil output. “We for youth scholarships and López Obrador has said
sions, and noted: “We can- continue with plans for pri- will continue to support Pe- training programs and has that savings from the gov-
not continue with the same mary government budget mex,” he said. expanded payments for ernment’s spending cuts
strategies. You cannot put surpluses in all the remain- Herrera also dismissed the elderly. and an anti-corruption
new wine in old bottles.” ing five years of the admin- speculation that Mexico He has also embarked on campaign would pay for
The president appointed istration, and pledged to might be heading into a re- ambitious infrastructure the projects, along with
Assistant Treasury Secre- preserve macroeconomic cession. projects like the Maya Train, some private financing.q

Ex-education secretary, 5 others held in Puerto Rico probe

By MARIELA SANTOS $15.5 million in federal agencies to win federal
Associated Press funding between 2017 and contracts and illegally used
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico 2019. federal money to pay for
(AP) — Puerto Rico’s for- Thirteen million was spent lobbying.
mer secretary of education by the Department of Ed- “It was alleged that the
and five other people were ucation during Keleher’s defendants engaged in
arrested Wednesday on time as secretary while $2.5 a public corruption cam-
charges of steering federal million was spent by the paign and profited at the
money to unqualified, polit- insurance administration expense of the Puerto Ri-
ically connected contrac- when Ávila was the direc- can citizens and students.
tors, federal officials said. tor. This type of corruption is
Federal officials said Officials said there was no particularly egregious be-
Wednesday morning that evidence that Keleher or cause it not only victim-
former Education Secretary Ávila-Marrero had person- izes tax payers, it victimizes
Julia Keleher; former Puerto ally benefited from the those citizens and students
Rico Health Insurance Ad- Federal agents escort former Puerto Rico Health Insurance scheme. that are in need of educa-
ministration head Ángela Administration head Ángela Ávila-Marrero who was arrested in U.S. Attorney for Puerto Rico tional assistance,” said Neil
Ávila-Marrero; businessmen San Juan, Puerto Rico, Wednesday, July 10, 2019. Rosa Emilia Rodríguez said Sanchez, special agent in
Fernando Scherrer-Caillet Associated Press Velázquez Piñol had im- charge of the U.S. Depart-
and Alberto Velázquez- Mendoza and Mayra FBI on 32 counts of fraud properly taken advantage ment of Education’s Of-
Piñol, and education con- Ponce-Mendoza, who are and related charges. of contacts in the educa- fice of Inspector General’s
tractors Glenda E. Ponce- sisters, were arrested by the The alleged fraud involves tion and health insurance Southern Region. q