Aguakán’s Billion-Peso Money Laundering Scandal Unraveled

Officials from Desarrollos Hidráulicos de Cancún (Aguakán), including their director, Paul Andrew Rangel Merkley, are set to face a lawsuit in March over alleged money laundering. The charges suggest that the company used this illicit method to expand its drinking water supply concession in Quintana Roo, according to a report from the State Government to the Attorney General's Office. The lawsuit also implicates former officials from the Roberto Borge administration, who allegedly used illicit funds to secure payments of one billion pesos to the Drinking Water Commission. These funds later vanished.

Aguakán has countered these accusations by claiming that the Mara Lezama government is pursuing a “legal persecution” against them. The company believes this is an attempt to discredit their operations and retain the concession in Solidaridad, Benito Juárez, Isla Mujeres, and Puerto Morelos. Regardless of these claims, the judicial process will proceed. On March 3, Rangel Markley and several shareholders will attend a hearing at the Quintana Roo Criminal Justice Center to face charges and establish links to the ongoing investigation. Despite a suspension against an arrest order, the allegations could lead to a lengthy legal process.

It's worth noting that in 2023, Quintana Roo's Congress approved the withdrawal of Aguakán's concession, which was valid until 2053. This decision was made after detecting irregularities, but the company obtained a suspension against the measure, citing procedural fraud. The trial is in its early stages and is expected to continue for several months, if not years.

In February, an initial hearing was held to formulate charges against Rangel Merkley. He was accused of providing false statements in the trial against the Quintana Roo government over the cancellation of the drinking water supply contract in four northern municipalities. Merkley's statements were a crucial part of the lawsuit brought by Aguakán to continue providing the service despite the conclusion of their contract. The criminal trial against Merkley began in January 2024, after the company successfully suspended Decree 195. This decree, approved by the Congress of Quintana Roo, had cancelled Aguakán's drinking water supply contract in December 2023.

According to a comprehensive report in 2023, deputies of the XIV Legislature facilitated Aguakán's extra profits of about 17 billion pesos, impacting hundreds of thousands of users. These individuals will also be held accountable for the significant legal issues facing the State Government.