TIJUANA (Border Report) — Tijuana Mayor Arturo González Cruz is accusing Baja California Gov. Jaime Bonilla of withholding the equivalent of $30 million earmarked for projects and salaries around Tijuana.
González Cruz says Bonilla is committing a crime by misappropriating the funds.
“It’s clear with the state that we are owed 660 million pesos and misdirecting the funds constitutes a crime,” the mayor said.
González Cruz says the money is past due and that his city has had to seek a line of credit to make payments including the salaries of some medical employees.
“This ongoing problem we have with the state is that it is keeping federal money meant for us, this money flows to us through the state, and it should take no more than five days to reach us, but this hasn’t been the case,” González Cruz said. “We are left without the funds, but we have to make payments especially to medical workers but the state doesn’t respect this agreement.”
According to Mayor González Cruz, in the month of October, more than 200 million pesos were not turned over to Tijuana.
“If this is for some sort of political pressure, that’s a mistake, because these are resources meant for Tijuana residents, and we shouldn’t be in this situation,” said González Cruz.
The mayor says his city is owed millions dating back to last year when the previous governor was in office, adding that Bonilla had promised to turn the money over but has yet to do it.
Bonilla’s office did not respond or has made comment about these allegations.
