Former UAEM Rector Cleared in Second Trial Over Alleged Misappropriation

A judicial tribunal has ruled that claims against former Autonomous University of the State of Morelos (UAEM) rector Alejandro Vera Jiménez, accusing him of diverting over 6 million pesos, are ineffective. This marks the second legal victory for Vera Jiménez, who was released last week after serving six months in prison.

His prior imprisonment was related to the "La Estafa Maestra" case, a complex fraud scheme. However, his detention was overturned by a collegiate court that found insufficient evidence to support charges of organized crime. The current administrative case originated from an audit conducted by the Superior Audit Office of Fiscalization (ASF) concerning the use of federal subsidies granted through a financial support agreement in December 2016.

The ASF detected a lack of supporting documentation for expenses totaling 6,161,000 pesos in an institutional bank account. Consequently, the Investigating Authority formally accused the then-rector, Jesús Alejandro Vera Jiménez, of committing a serious administrative offense: abuse of functions. The accusation posited that the rector arbitrarily failed to verify and track the legitimate use of these public funds.

In the initial phase of the trial, the Auxiliary Chamber of the Federal Tribunal of Administrative Justice (TFJA) determined in June 2024 that there was insufficient evidence to prove Vera Jiménez was administratively responsible for the alleged misconduct. The ASF disagreed with this decision and filed an appeal, leading to the present case.

The ASF's central argument in the appeal was that the first-instance chamber had misinterpreted the UAEM's Organic Law and the Financial Support Agreement. According to the ASF, the agreement obligated the rector to "exercise and control the budget," which inherently included the duty to individually audit and document each expense. However, the Superior Chamber magistrates explained that administrative sanctioning law strictly adheres to the principle of typicity, meaning a public servant's conduct must precisely match the legal definition for sanctions to be applied.