Late last year, journalist Alvaro Neri released a book called El expediente Bours. La corrupcion de la transparencia. La transparencia de corrupcion, which is a compilation of 350 public information requests filed by Neri in the state of Sonora in recent years. Now the author is visiting cities in Sonora to drum up publicity for the 800-page book, and facing some resistance.
Neri claims that he received death threats prior to his June presentation in Hermosillo, and he also alleged that local media refused to publish announcements of his visit to the city. The book includes cases in which the requests yielded information from the government, as well as those that resulted in the government rejecting the requests. The publication of the book is meant to highlight what Alvaro Neri claims is a systemic vacuum of information within the government administration of Sonoran governor Eduardo Bours.
Speaking in Hermosillo, Neri said that public documents he acquired showed that Bours arrived to his post with about half a million dollars in assets and is leaving with more than $67 million. Neri alleges that the governor has been involved in public misuse of funds. The journalist said he was able to obtain certain information on the governor’s finances after pursuing public information requests for three years.
From the June Justice in Mexico Project’s Monthly News Report:
http://www.justiceinmexico.org/news/recent_news.php
SOURCES:
Bandin, Ignacio. “Presento Cepeda Neri ‘El expediente Bours’.” Kiosco Mayor. June 5, 2009.
Gutierrez, Ulises. “Cepeda Neri: Llego Bours con 7 milliones y se va con mas de 900.” Dossier Politico. June 6, 2009.
