Mexico vows to stamp out (minor, non-U.S.-directed) corruption at consulates

Apparently a since-fired employee at the Mexican consulate in Dallas, Texas had a side business inside the consulate: giving people a five-year passport for $100, but only marking down that he'd given them a $30 1-year passport and pocketing the difference (link). Supporters of the consul (Enrique Hubbard, last mentioned here) claim that he wasn't involved, even if he was a bit too tolerant of his employees. He's since been reassigned to American University in Washington DC. And:

The Mexican Foreign Ministry on Saturday reiterated that any financial irregularities committed at its consulates would not be tolerated and that appropriate action would be taken to weed out corruption.

Now, of course, some might say that the consulates are facilitating corruption on a major scale where Mexico sends us millions of people in exchange for the billions they send home (and the troubles they don't cause at home). And, they're right.

Wed, 08/19/2009 - 15:44 · · Importance: 4