UACJ official fined by Chihuahua auditor over withheld financial data

The Auditoría Superior del Estado (ASE) of Chihuahua has fined a public servant at the Universidad Autónoma de Ciudad Juárez (UACJ) for refusing to provide information regarding the 2025 public accounts. The fine amounts to 35,193.00 pesos, equivalent to 300 times the daily value of the Unidad de Medida y Actualización.

During the audit of the 2025 accounts, the ASE identified a subaccount for “congresses, conventions, and exhibitions” totaling over 4.1 million pesos. Out of a selected sample, the university failed to provide documentation for 1,012,254.42 pesos related to “corporate card payments” and “attendance of UACJ personnel at a dinner-dance.” While the corporate cards appear to be assigned to high-level officials, the lack of bank statements and supporting documentation has made it impossible to determine the final destination of these funds.

ASE Auditor Héctor Acosta Félix stated that the university's autonomy does not exempt it from accountability. Due to the lack of response from the university's liaison, the ASE intends to send a formal requirement directly to the rector, Daniel Alberto Constandse Cortez.