Mexico’s anti-money laundering agency announced Thursday that it has accused former President Enrique Peña Nieto of handling millions of dollars in possibly illegal funds.
This would be the first formal legal accusation against Peña Nieto, despite a shadow of corruption allegations during his 2012-2018 administration.
President Andrés Manuel López Obrador made the fight against corruption the main issue of his government, but he had not acted against any of his predecessors.
The criminal complaint filed against Peña Nieto by the Financial Intelligence Unit does not mean that prosecutors have decided to file formal charges, but the head of the unit, Pablo Gómez, said that federal prosecutors received the complaint for the use of illicit funds and that they are doing research.
Gomez said Thursday that two companies run by Peña Nieto’s family received about $500 million in government contracts while he was president. He did not mention the name of the companies, but said that they were a kind of distributors and that the former president was a shareholder.
He added that Peña Nieto had received money transfers from a relative, apparently linked to the two companies, for around $1.3 billion after leaving office. The official added that the accounts of Peña Nieto and those of the companies have not been blocked.
Peña Nieto moved to Spain after leaving office and has not publicly commented on a series of allegations.
On the other hand, Emilio Lozoya, director of the state oil company during the Peña Nieto government, affirmed that Peña Nieto and his right-hand man, the then Secretary of the Treasury Luis Videgaray, ordered him to bribe legislators, including five senators, to support a controversial energy reform and other structural projects in 2013 and 2014.
Videgaray denies the accusations. Neither is facing charges in that case.
Connect with the Voice of America! Subscribe to our channel Youtube and turn on notifications, or follow us on social media: Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Add Comment