MEXICO: About 100 agents assigned to the SAT tax agency’s customs service were fired for corruption between the start of 2014 and June 30, Mexican General Customs Administration chief Ricardo Treviño said in an interview published Tuesday.
Some 180 SAT employees were penalized or prosecuted in 2014 for abuse of office, with 73 customs agents among those fired, Treviño told the El Universal newspaper.
A total of 27 agents were let go between Jan. 1 and June 30, Treviño said, adding that a large number of complaints were received about SAT officials.
“Last year, nearly 13,000 complaints were received, with some 40 percent being just about customs agents,” the official said.
“But only in 2,500 (cases) was there enough information to allow us to start an investigation,” Treviño said.
“In the end, based on these complaints, administrative penalties were imposed on 160 public servants and criminal ones on nearly 20 public servants,” the customs service chief said.
The agency is investing in technology to fight corruption, making it more difficult for agents to skirt the rules, Treviño said.
