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By THE PULSE NEWS MEXICO STAFF    

The Mexican government will investigate allegations of the misappropriation of more than 17 billion pesos earmarked for the now-suspended construction of the New International Mexico Airport (NAIM), President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) announced Monday, Jan. 7, during his regular morning news conference at Palacio Nacional.

AMLO said that he had reviewed the case earlier in t he morning with members of his cabinet earlier and had decided to proceed with an investigation.

The case, which first came to light after an investigation by El Universal newspaper based on documents obtained from the national Attorney General’s Office (PGR) and the Mexican Federal Police, suggests that the missing money was preempted by former NAIM director general Raúl González and former Grupo Aeroportuario de la Ciudad de México (GACM) director Carlos Noriega.

Construction of the controversial new airport in the Valley of Texcoco, which began in 2014 and was expected to cost an estimated total of $13 billion, was ordered officially halted by AMLO’s administration earlier this month.