The alleged scheme reaches the state’s 135 vehicle inspection centers and, with a fee of 15,000 pesos per establishment, would represent just over 2 million pesos per month in kickbacks from this sector alone. Imagine the others.
A complaint over kickbacks has been sitting in Governor Rocío Nahle’s office for almost three weeks, and so far there has been no public response. On August 19, members of Verificentros de Veracruz Unidos went to the state government to report a network of improper payments within the Secretariat of Finance and Planning (Sefiplan), where they say the “fees” began at 5,000 pesos per month per establishment and eventually reached as much as 15,000 pesos.
The concession holders openly point to Paola Elizabeth López Chávez, director general of Vehicle Verification at Sefiplan, who held meetings with them and warned about possible closures. She also informed them that Jesús Serrato would be responsible for contacting them to determine how the establishments would operate.
Identified by the business owners themselves as López Chávez’s operator, Serrato began demanding monthly payments in exchange for allowing them to operate without complications, allegedly threatening to withhold holograms, stickers, and official forms from those who did not pay—documents essential for keeping the inspection centers operating.
The alleged scheme reaches the state’s 135 vehicle inspection centers and, with a fee of 15,000 pesos per establishment, would represent just over 2 million pesos per month in kickbacks from this sector alone. The concession holders have deposit slips, screenshots of conversations, and recordings to support their allegations, as well as the telephone numbers from which they received instructions to make cardless withdrawals or deposits at OXXO stores.
Inspections continue, and dozens of vehicle inspection centers have been suspended in recent weeks for “noncompliance.” According to the complainants, these actions are part of efforts to force them to pay, while the complaint against the alleged payment network remains unanswered by the Nahle administration. For the concession holders, this silence ultimately only serves to shield the officials who have been accused.
What is curious is that the name of Jesús Serrato does not publicly appear linked to a government position or appointment that would make it possible to determine where he is assigned or what his powers are, while Paola López does have a public-sector background. Before joining the Veracruz government, she was part of the Aide-de-Camp Office of then-President Andrés Manuel López Obrador between 2018 and 2019, and later held various positions at Petróleos Mexicanos between 2021 and 2025, precisely in the energy sector that for much of the previous administration was headed by Rocío Nahle as Secretary of Energy.
The complaint includes names, deposits, conversations, and recordings to support its accusations, but so far the Veracruz government has remained silent. The problem for Rocío Nahle is that this is not the only issue facing a state where violence shows no signs of stopping and extortion is growing every day, and now allegations of kickbacks within her own administration have been added. The problems in Veracruz do not stop—and what about the governor?
Source: heraldodemexico
