Mexico's financial intelligence unit froze the bank accounts of 40 people and companies on November 4 as it reviewed risky operations in the electoral contracting scandal. It did not name them. The INE's ten councillors were preparing to file a criminal complaint with federal prosecutors, and interim president Blanca Cruz said it would cover Taddei and any official involved.
On November 5 the government presented an investigation into a supplier network run by brothers José Alfredo and Raymundo Hernández Casillas that won 2,646 million pesos in electoral material contracts from 2015 to 2025. President Claudia Sheinbaum said the network is at least 27 years old. The Federal Superior Auditor said it would review electoral contracts from 2000 to 2025 and has found irregularities worth more than 8,870 million pesos in INE management.
Why it matters
Mexico's election agency will run the 2027 midterms under an interim chief, with its former leader's accounts frozen and a criminal complaint pending.
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Key Indicators
MXN 2,461M
Contracts won by five linked firms
Electoral materials contracts at 27 state electoral bodies from 2014 to 2025, per the INE's internal control body.
MXN 2,646M
Hernández Casillas network contracts
Electoral material contracts won from 2015 to 2025, per the government investigation presented on November 5.
MXN 8,870M
Irregularities found by the ASF
Amount the Federal Superior Auditor says it has detected in INE management, as it expands its review to 2000-2025.
40
Accounts frozen by the UIF
People and companies whose accounts the Financial Intelligence Unit froze on November 4; it did not name them.
77%
Share of that market
The concentration the internal control body attributes to the five companies.
18
Internal control files
13 open investigation files and five sanction proceedings against INE officials, reported to deputies on October 30.
19 events
Latest: 6 days ago
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November 2026
Government presents investigation into Hernández Casillas network
LatestInvestigation
The Secretaría Anticorrupción y Buen Gobierno presented findings on a network of companies run by brothers José Alfredo and Raymundo Hernández Casillas that won 2,646 million pesos in electoral material contracts from 2015 to 2025. Sheinbaum said the network is at least 27 years old.
Taddei cited to hand over her INE office
Legal
The INE cited Taddei to complete the handover of the office she held for three and a half years, a step its internal control rules require within five days of departure. She resigned October 26 and had not done it.
Financial Intelligence Unit freezes 40 accounts in INE case
Investigation
The Finance Ministry's financial intelligence unit froze the accounts of 40 people and companies after flagging risky operations. It did not name them and said the step does not establish final responsibility.
ASF expands review to 25 years of electoral contracts
Investigation
The Federal Superior Auditor said it would review contracts at the INE, its predecessor IFE and state electoral bodies from 2000 to 2025. It reported irregularities worth more than 8,870 million pesos in INE management and put contracts to linked companies at 3,790.3 million pesos.
INE councillors agree to file criminal complaint with federal prosecutors
Legal
The ten councillors agreed to send the contract case to the Fiscalía General de la República by November 4. Blanca Cruz said the complaint does not single out Taddei and covers any official who may have taken part in the awards.
INE moves to request emergency audit of its purchases
Investigation
Councillors reviewed a request for an emergency audit by the Federal Superior Auditor covering purchases from 2023 onward, to run alongside the auditor's own review and the internal control body's audits.
Video shows Taddei with contractor as he cites contract figures
Investigation
Latinus released a recording of a February 16, 2026 meeting in which José Alfredo Hernández Casillas runs through amounts and percentage splits with Taddei, including a MXN 71 million voter ID card contract awarded in December 2025. Taddei appears in the clip but is not heard speaking in the published excerpt.
Fifteen officials and staff have left the INE
Resignation
El Economista reported that 15 officials and trust employees had left the institute since the scandal broke, and that the new leadership had halted some committed contracts now under review.
October 2026
INE comptroller tells deputies five linked firms won MXN 2,461M
Investigation
Víctor Hugo Carvente said Cajas Graf, Formas Finas y Materiales, Corporativo ZEG, Comercializadora JVLY and Seriplast de México shared partners yet bid separately, taking 77% of that market. He reported 13 open files and five sanction proceedings; opposition deputies asked why the findings took months to surface.
INE council names Blanca Yassahara Cruz García interim president
Appointment
The ten councillors chose Cruz García unanimously in a private meeting, and the council formalized the appointment in an extraordinary session. Party representatives backed the choice and asked that the institute's credibility come first.
Chamber committee body approves summons of INE internal control chief
Legislative
The Junta de Coordinación Política voted unanimously to summon Víctor Hugo Carvente Contreras to explain the contract probes. Majority leader Ricardo Monreal also circulated a draft call for INE president candidates. No appearance date has been set.
Three INE directors resign
Resignation
Cruz García announced that the heads of the IT services unit, the gender equality unit, and the materials office resigned. She said the INE will cooperate with the OIC and the Federal Superior Auditor.
Taddei presents resignation; succession begins
Resignation
Taddei formally resigns before the Chamber of Deputies. President Sheinbaum says the resignation does not constitute a crisis and the law defines the succession procedure.
OIC reports dozens of open contract investigations
Investigation
The INE's Internal Control Body reported open probes into officials and companies. Politico reported 37 investigations, and Excelsior reported 16 processes plus 25 additional contract investigations.
Taddei announces intent to resign
Statement
Taddei releases a statement saying she will present her resignation the following day to protect the institute's credibility.
INE removes senior executives; audit details emerge
Structural
The INE removes unnamed senior executives from administrative posts. The ASF confirms the probe covers 514 million pesos in contracts, with Corporativo Zeg winning 184 million.
ASF opens corruption investigation into INE contracts
Investigation
The Federal Superior Auditor announces a probe into possible conflicts of interest, collusion, and triangulation of funds in INE supplier contracts.
April 2023
Taddei appointed INE president
Appointment
The Chamber of Deputies names Guadalupe Taddei to head Mexico's federal electoral authority.
2023
Financial intelligence freezes supplier accounts
Investigation
Mexico's Financial Intelligence Unit freezes accounts of one of Hernández Casillas's supplier companies; freeze later lifted after an amparo injunction in January 2024.
Scenarios
1
Chamber of Deputies names INE successor before midterm elections
Likely
Resolves by Q2 2027
Discussed by: Claudia Sheinbaum and Mexican electoral law experts
The INE's governing council names an acting president, and the Chamber of Deputies runs a formal selection process for a permanent replacement. If the process moves at a normal pace, a new INE president takes office months before the 2027 elections, and the institution operates through campaign season under permanent leadership.
2
ASF investigation leads to charges against Taddei
Possible
Resolves by End of 2027
Discussed by: ASF audit findings reported in Mexican media
The Federal Superior Auditor finishes its review of INE supplier contracts and finds evidence that Taddei steered awards to Hernández Casillas's companies. The internal control body says five linked firms won MXN 2,461 million at 27 state electoral bodies. If the auditor refers the case to prosecutors, Taddei faces criminal exposure.
3
Investigation clears Taddei of wrongdoing
Unlikely
Resolves by End of 2027
Discussed by: Taddei's resignation statement
The audit concludes without evidence that Taddei personally benefited from the contracts. Her resignation stands, but no criminal or administrative sanction follows. The Chamber of Deputies still names a replacement, and Taddei returns to private life with her record formally clean.
4
Federal prosecutors open a criminal investigation into the INE contracts
Likely
Resolves by Feb 28, 2027
Discussed by: INE councillors' November 3 agreement, announced by interim president Blanca Cruz
The complaint agreed by the ten councillors reaches the Fiscalía General de la República, which opens an investigation file covering officials who handled the awards. Prosecutors would have to establish who steered contracts to the five linked firms and whether public money was diverted.
Historical Context
2 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.
1 of 2
July 2006
2006 Mexican presidential election dispute
Felipe Calderón defeated Andrés Manuel López Obrador by less than one percentage point. López Obrador claimed fraud and led protests that shut down Mexico City's Reforma avenue for weeks, with supporters camped in the Zócalo.
Then
The Federal Electoral Institute certified Calderón's victory despite the protests.
Now
The episode fueled calls to overhaul electoral institutions, which produced the 2014 reform that created the INE.
Why this matters now
Shows what happens in Mexico when a major political force challenges an election's integrity: the institution organizing the vote takes lasting damage.
2 of 2
February 2014
2014 electoral reform creates the INE
President Enrique Peña Nieto signed a constitutional amendment replacing the Federal Electoral Institute with the INE, a new federal authority with power to oversee state and local elections. The reform came from the cross-party Pact for Mexico agreement.
Then
The INE took over election organization nationwide, absorbing functions from state authorities.
Now
The INE organized the 2015, 2018, 2021, and 2024 federal elections. It now faces its first leadership crisis.
Why this matters now
The institution created to rebuild electoral credibility after 2006 is now the one whose credibility is under question.
