An alleged network of deception and fraud surrounds the real estate development “Ciudad Maderas,” currently under construction on land in Sierra Papacal, a district of Mérida. Marketed as investment lots, this project lacks legal certainty due to ongoing agrarian litigation.
The controversy began in 2010 with a fraudulent “phantom” sale of 2,868 hectares of ejido lands, which were illegally converted from common use to private use. This sale was orchestrated by Rigoberto Paz Cen, former delegate of the National Agrarian Registry (RAN), and former ejido commissioner Tomás Ek Castro. The ejidatarios, including Buenaventura Pech Euán and Vidal Pool Jiménez, are now defending their lands through legal resources before the Agrarian Unitary Court.
The ejido has an active nullity trial (file 268/2021) demanding compensation of 120 pesos per square meter, totaling 3,441 million pesos, or the restitution of the lands with all infrastructure built on them. Grupo Pro Habitaciones, the company behind Ciudad Maderas, faces a serious legal conflict that could be classified as a mega fraud. Investors and buyers are at risk of losing their investments if the court rules in favor of the ejido.
The ejidatarios have presented evidence showing they never authorized the sale of the lands nor received any payment. They claim the meeting approving the transaction, held on September 1, 2010, was conducted illegally. If the court rules in favor of the ejido, the company would be required to pay compensation or return the lands to their rightful owners.
This case is not isolated. Ciudad Maderas operates in secret, with legal omissions that could classify its contracts as fraudulent. The developer faces multiple complaints before the Federal Consumer Protection Agency (Profeco) for deceiving clients with false benefits and questionable investment schemes. Similar issues have been reported in León, San Luis Potosí, and Mérida, including illegal land purchases and alleged corruption in obtaining permits.
Ciudad Maderas uses ambiguous contracts and financing schemes without down payments, guarantors, or credit bureau reviews to attract clients. In Quintana Roo, the developers of Ciudad Maderas Caribe have been accused of marketing lots in Cancun using falsified environmental impact documents, with apparent complicity from municipal authorities.
The main actors behind these questionable practices are Edgar Sánchez Castro, general director of the real estate company in charge of Ciudad Maderas Caribe, and his partner Gastón Jury Arce, general director of Grupo Pro Vivienda. Their actions have raised significant concerns among investors and authorities alike.
Source: El Sol de Yucatan
