Overview
- Mexico’s federal audit office filed a first complaint with the attorney general alleging diversion of public funds during María Elena Álvarez-Buylla’s tenure.
- Audits across the 2019–2023 accounts identified 27 cases totaling 410.63 million pesos in unresolved irregularities, with 2021 alone linked to 12 incidents and more than 220 million pesos.
- Findings include payments to 137 researchers without formal agreements, 57 assistants paid in two programs at once, transfers to beneficiaries of deceased researchers, scholarship overpayments, and overpriced or poorly documented contracts such as dining services.
- The 2023 reorganization into Conahcyt did not halt the problems, as two audits that year flagged just over 70 million pesos, largely tied to the National Graduate Scholarships program.
- The audit office reports no demonstrated mechanisms to recover excess payments or sanction officials, investigations remain open for further actions, and Álvarez-Buylla says she is not implicated personally, citing a PRAS focused on a 52 million peso contract.