Investigations by the Federal Superior Audit Office (ASF) and the Financial Intelligence Unit (UIF) into the National Electoral Institute (INE) have uncovered a procurement scheme involving a conglomerate of seven companies. These firms—which received favorable treatment from the electoral body under the leadership of Guadalupe Taddei Zavala—have also secured contracts totaling over 1 billion pesos from Local Public Electoral Bodies (OPLEs) in at least 13 states across the country.
The inquiries document that the relationship between this corporate group—led by businessman José Alfredo Hernández Casillas and his brother, Raymundo Francisco Hernández Casillas—and the current president of the INE dates back to 2014, when Taddei headed the electoral institute for the state of Sonora (2014–2021).
In March 2024, the ASF detected irregularities regarding a direct contract awarded by the INE to the company Comercializadora JVLY, S.A. de C.V., valued at 63,241,000 pesos, for the production and distribution of mock election materials for the 2023–2024 federal electoral process.
Among the findings was the diversion of funds to other companies—a discovery that prompted the UIF to launch an investigation.
Investigators identified a network of at least seven companies operationally linked to the Hernández Casillas brothers; these firms would pose as competitors in various bidding processes to ensure that contracts were awarded to them.
The companies include Cajas Graf, S.A. de C.V., a supplier of electoral packages and boxes at both the state and federal levels, and Formas Finas y Materiales, S.A. de C.V., which specializes in the production of electoral documentation and materials featuring security safeguards. Corporativo Zeg, S.A. de C.V., used for contracts involving the printing of ballots and vote-tallying records; Seriplast de México, engaged in the manufacturing of plastic supplies; Diseño Reconstrucción y Comunicación, which conducts market research; as well as the corporate entities Formas Finas Fernando Fernández and Comercializadora Grupo Selati.
