Sheinbaum Orders Infonavit Director Octavio Romero to Make Asset Declaration Public
Sheinbaum Orders Infonavit Chief to Drop Financial Secrecy
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum publicly instructed Octavio Romero Oropeza to publish his full asset declaration. She also ordered the director general of the Infonavit to dismantle an internal regulatory framework that previously kept his financial records confidential. The high-level demand targets a policy exception that shielded the housing fund chief’s properties, bank accounts, and income from public scrutiny.
The Transparency Conflict at the Housing Agency
The controversy emerged after media investigations revealed that Infonavit’s Transparency Committee had kept Romero Oropeza’s financial disclosures under wraps. Following a formal public records request filed on July 13, the agency classified numerous financial elements as confidential information.
It included real estate holdings, bank account balances, vehicle ownership, investments, and personal income.
Contrasting Standards With Past Leadership
This approach stood in sharp contrast to the administration of Carlos Martínez Velázquez, the previous director of the Institute of the National Housing Fund for Workers (Infonavit). Martínez Velázquez maintained publicly accessible asset declarations during the prior sexennium.
Under the General Law of Administrative Responsibilities, public servants are legally mandated to make their asset declarations public. Narrow legal exceptions are restricted solely to sensitive personal data and private life. President Sheinbaum addressed the issue during her morning press conference, making it clear that internal institutional regulations cannot override federal transparency mandates.
President Sheinbaum stated that she had asked Octavio Romero Oropeza to change the rule, as it is not right for public servants to have exceptions in making their asset declarations public, according to reports.
Directives for Structural Reform
President Sheinbaum outlined two mandatory actions for the federal housing agency. First, she ordered the immediate modification of the internal agency rule that authorized the data restriction. Second, she instructed Romero Oropeza to upload his complete declaration to the official Infonavit portal to eliminate public doubt.
While the official directory for 2026 lists Romero Oropeza as having filed a declaration, the extent of the previously restricted sections remaining accessible has sparked intense debate regarding executive oversight.