MÉRIDA, MEXICO — A company allegedly linked to the corruption network of former National Electoral Institute (INE) president Guadalupe Taddei Zavala has been accused of abandoning vehicles valued at over 162 million pesos. The vehicles were part of a lucrative rental contract intended for the 2022-2024 electoral process in the state of Yucatán.

The company, Van Car Rental S.A. de C.V., was one of the preferred suppliers for the INE, even as it faced allegations of corrupt practices. Reports indicate that while the firm was technically debarred by Mexican authorities, it continued to be awarded multimillion-dollar contracts.

The most recent contract involved the rental of a vehicle fleet for the 2022-2024 elections—a process that included the selection of mayors, local and federal deputies, senators, the governor, and the president. This specific contract (INE/010/2023) was valued at 334 million pesos and was set to run for 21 months, beginning in June 2023.

The scale of the alleged mismanagement has come to light in the city of Mérida. Out of 375 vehicles acquired through the leasing agreement, a total of 183 were discovered abandoned in a lot on the 24th kilometer of the Mérida ring road, between the Motul and Chichí Suárez bridges.

The estimated cost of these abandoned vehicles is 162,992,000 pesos, based on an average rental cost of 890,666 pesos per unit.

The INE currently has an active legal controversy with Van Car Rental regarding the abandoned fleet. Despite the ongoing dispute, the vehicles remain on the lot, still displaying the official branding and logos of the National Electoral Institute.