Mexico to reassign consul in Texas amid probe

The Associated Press
6:36 p.m. August 18, 2009

MEXICO CITY — The Mexican consul for northern Texas will be reassigned amid an investigation into suspected irregularities in passport fees at the consulate, Mexico's foreign minister said Tuesday.

Foreign Relations Secretary Patricia Espinosa said Consul General Enrique Hubbard would be reassigned from Dallas as part of the department's normal rotation rules.

Espinosa wouldn't say whether Hubbard himself was being investigated in the alleged passport scheme or reveal his new assignment. She said a commission at the foreign relations department would decide where to assign Hubbard in the coming days.

Mexican federal prosecutors are investigating irregularities in the fees charged for the issuing of passports at the Mexican consulate in Dallas that were detected by internal controls, Espinosa told reporters.

The Dallas Morning News reported Saturday that Hubbard faced allegations that he allowed staff members to personally profit from selling passport-size photos and that tolerated employees who skimmed money from passport fees.

http://www3.signonsandiego.com/stories/ ... dex=151579