Investigation Demanded into Casino Permits Granted During Adán Augusto López’s Tenure as Interior Minister
A call for an immediate investigation has been issued by Deputy Octavio Martínez Vargas regarding the renewal of casino operating permits during the period when Senator Adán Augusto López Hernández headed the Secretariat of the Interior (Segob).
This demand follows a recent report alleging that a company linked to the brother of Hernán Bermúdez, former Secretary of Public Security of Tabasco, who is under investigation for alleged ties to organized crime, received renewed casino operating permits while López was in charge of Segob.
The investigation, conducted by the media outlet Emeequis, focuses on Humberto Bermúdez Requena, brother of Hernán Bermúdez, who is currently a fugitive from justice on charges including organized crime.
According to journalist Jorge García Orozco, who led the investigation, Humberto Bermúdez Requena “has been close to several governors of Tabasco. And although Adán Augusto López [who also served as governor of that state] claims he only knew him as ‘a career police officer,’ the documents show otherwise.”
In 2017, while serving as a notary public in Villahermosa, López reportedly granted the articles of incorporation to Controladora de Promociones e Inversiones del Sureste, a company owned by Humberto Bermúdez. Subsequently, this company partnered with Pool Umasal Top to acquire a casino license through a strategy that, according to the report, simulates the opening of new establishments by leveraging existing permits.
Then, in October 2022, when López was head of Segob, the company allegedly received a 10-year extension to operate casinos, extending its validity until 2039. This action was authorized by the General Directorate of Games and Sweepstakes, which reports directly to Segob.
García emphasized the suspicious nature of the situation, stating, “First, as a notary, he helps them create the company, and then, as a federal official, he grants them the permit extension. There is not only proximity: there is a relationship of trust.”
Martínez Vargas’s Request
Deputy Martínez Vargas argued that if the information is confirmed, the former federal secretary should step down from his duties. He added that the law must be applied without distinction, in line with the current federal government’s commitments to combating corruption, and demanded the intervention of federal and state authorities to clarify the facts.
The deputy urged the institutions responsible for administering justice to initiate formal processes to determine the extent of the benefits granted. He called for swift legal action, arguing that omissions in these cases generate impunity and weaken institutional credibility.
The legislator assured that, as a member of the local Congress, he will continue to promote the review of regulatory frameworks related to gambling. Finally, he reiterated that the granting of permits must adhere to legal principles and not to group interests or cronyism.
According to the deputy from the State of Mexico, this situation adds to other allegations of a presumed network of interests and corruption between businessmen, politicians, and criminal groups that favored the opening and legalization of gambling halls. He stated that the permits were allegedly authorized during previous administrations.
In his statement, he also recalled that similar irregularities had been pointed out in previous administrations and stated that it is necessary to review all permits granted to operate betting houses.
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