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2h ago

Mexican Senators Seek Probe of Ex-Conahcyt Chief Over No-Bid Contract to Firm Linked to Her Daughter

Lawmakers moved after documents showed a 4.43 million‑peso direct award for KALAN’s museography to Estudio MMX, which had designed the daughter’s home.

María Elena Álvarez-Buylla Roces, exdirectora general del Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (Conacyt). | Banco digital GH
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Overview

  • The direct contract to Estudio MMX for KALAN’s museography totaled 4,431,200 pesos, as recorded in SECIHTI’s Q4 2023 progress report.
  • Estudio MMX previously designed the Tlalpan home-studio of Jimena García Álvarez‑Buylla in a project featured by Dwell, following her 2021 contact with firm cofounder Emmanuel Ramírez.
  • KALAN was inaugurated on September 29, 2024, yet remains closed with unfinished areas despite a reported overall cost of about 285 million pesos.
  • Conahcyt’s 2022 Code of Conduct requires officials to avoid conflicts of interest, and an administrative law expert said a direct award can indicate preference subject to ethics review within five years.
  • Opposition senators asked federal authorities, including the Superior Audit Office, to investigate, alleging favoritism tied to the ex-director’s family connection to the contractor.