**Proturismo Goes Bankrupt**
Proturismo of Ensenada, a municipal entity dedicated to promoting tourism, has been operating in severe financial distress for some years. This situation is attributed to the freezing of its accounts by the Tax Administration Service (SAT) due to detected irregularities. Despite Ensenada’s renown as a leading tourist destination in Baja California, the organization tasked with its promotion is now bankrupt.
Eight months ago, Baja California’s Superior Audit Office reported that both Proturismo and the Youth Institute had failed to clarify the misuse of their 2022 budgets. Despite these negative findings, recent directors of Proturismo have subsequently been appointed to other state and federal public offices. Among them are former director Amador Arteaga Sahagún, now with the National Port System Administration (Asipona), and Enrique Hernán Ceseña, currently part of the State Tourism Secretariat (Secture). During their tenures, the Superior Audit Office rejected the public accounts, prompting Municipal Oversight to begin investigations that were eventually closed due to insufficient evidence.
Led by Gabriela Judith Herrera Martínez, Proturismo has also failed to respond to queries regarding liabilities and the list of vendors to whom it owes money, as per the National Transparency and Public Information Access Agency.
**Audit Findings**
The audit conducted between January 1, 2022, and December 31, 2022, identified significant and widespread errors and omissions in Proturismo’s financial statements. Among the issues were inadequate controls over the use and application of public resources, failure to issue receipts for income, budget deficits, and insufficient tax and payroll contributions. Additionally, the entity failed to report certain taxes to SAT or make necessary contributions to Issstecali.
Approximately 1,955,413 pesos were deposited in the transfer accounts, for which no fiscal receipts were issued. The entity’s budget did not match its expenses, showing a deficit of 505,753 pesos by the end of 2022.
Moreover, specific percentages of required staff remunerations and surcharges were unreported. Irregularities also included unreported salary and payroll payments of 501,700 pesos and missing competitive vendor quotes for procurements and services.
While the director is responsible for managing both administration and operational functions, most audit recommendations and calls for administrative accountability remain unresolved. Despite public servants providing additional documentation, the information was inadequate to clear them of responsibility.
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