Business owners from Tabasco and Campeche have been waiting over 18 months to receive payment of more than 340 billion pesos owed by PEMEX.
Business owners from Tabasco and one from the capital of Campeche have sued Petróleos Mexicanos (PEMEX) for non-payment and requested the seizure of the company’s properties, said Javier del Carmen Bello Ávila, president of Contraloría Ciudadana AC. He lamented PEMEX’s irresponsibility towards its suppliers, to whom it owes more than 340 billion pesos. This has led to lawsuits and seizures by banks, which may soon cause some companies to declare bankruptcy.
Bello Ávila criticized that business owners in Ciudad del Carmen are resting on their laurels and need to seek legal help to get paid as soon as possible.
Based on statements from various business sectors, Javier Bello stated that the current situation shows that PEMEX’s general director, Octavio Romero Oropeza, lied every time he visited the island.
He committed to a date, which was last August, based on his financial advisors’ advice, but this was never true. Now, the new director will have to acknowledge this debt as there are records.
Bello Ávila said that PEMEX is not untouchable, meaning that business owners in Ciudad del Carmen should legally proceed against non-payment, just as happened in Tabasco with two business owners and the owner of a hospital in the capital of Campeche, who were owed more than 11 million pesos for outsourced health services. These three cases were won, but before seizing PEMEX’s properties, they were paid.
“It is time to consult a good legal firm and seize PEMEX because the law is clear that sufficient assets will be seized to cover the debt. Regardless of fear of reprisals, debts must be paid,” he said.
The president of Contraloría Ciudadana added that there is talk of an economic collapse in the municipality because business owners are facing a complex situation. They committed all their savings to secure contracts, trusting they would be paid in 180 days, but more than 18 months have passed without payment. To survive, they took out bank loans.
“They are in debt, at risk of seizures from worker and service provider lawsuits; but the origin of this is PEMEX’s non-compliance. It is not fair that Carmen is facing this economic situation due to the apathy of PEMEX officials,” he concluded.
Source: Por Esto
