Francisco Domínguez Servién, governor of Querétaro, reported this Monday that his private secretary, Guillermo Gutiérrez Badillo, was removed from office after he appeared in a video in which an alleged official from Petróleos Mexicanos (Pemex) hands him bags with bundles of money him and another former official of the Senate of the Republic.
“As always, in accordance with the law, I determined the immediate dismissal of Guillermo Gutiérrez Badillo, so that he could contribute to the clarification and demarcation of responsibilities of the broadcast video, before the competent authority,” said the state president on his Twitter account.
“Regardless of the legal powers that federal or state authorities may have in this matter, I have decided to remove said person from office and report it to the state comptroller,” he continued.
Domínguez Servién also assured that he is not aware of the alleged illegal acts of Gutiérrez Badillo.
Guillermo Gutiérrez Badillo has served as one of the close collaborators of Governor Domínguez during his political career; he was his private secretary during his time in the Senate.
After Domínguez Servién requested a license to his position in the Upper House, in February 2015, to run for the governorship of the state, the now former secretary returned with him to be part of his cabinet, after winning the local election.
As a private secretary, he was “responsible for managing the office of the State Governor,” according to the description given in his duties on the official state government website.
The original video showing alleged bribes given to Gutiérrez Badillo was published in an account with the name of Juan Jesús Lozoya Austin, brother of former Pemex director Emilio Lozoya.
“The video of Emilio Lozoya (proof of bribes)” is titled the video. “Here you can see how money is received for contracts with PEMEX,” the description of the video reads.
The images show several stacks with bundles of high-denomination banknotes, but the total amount is not explained or the recipient of the same. It only talks about amounts such as 250, 500, but it does not give a further reference.
With information from Lucero Almanza.
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