Mexico prosecutors open corruption investigation into ex-president Peña Nieto News
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Mexico prosecutors open corruption investigation into ex-president Peña Nieto

Mexico’s Attorney General Alejandro Gertz Manero announced Tuesday that prosecutors were opening a corruption investigation against former president Enrique Peña Nieto, who was in office from 2012 to 2018. This announcement follows accusations made against Peña Nieto by the former head of the oil company Petróleos Mexicanos (Pemex).

Emilio Lozoya, the former head of Pemex, was extradited from Spain in July to stand trial on corruption charges. He was accused of taking $10 million in bribes from Brazilian conglomerate Odebrecht.

Lozoya accused Peña Nieto and Peña Nieto’s former finance minister of instructing Lozoya to give bribes of more than 100 million pesos to finance Peña Nieto’s 2012 presidential campaign. This money was allegedly given to electoral advisors abroad. Lozoya also alleged that Peña Nieto similarly used bribes to buy votes while he was in office, bribing one deputy and five senators for their votes on reforms in 2013 and 2014.

On opening the investigation, Manero said:

From this moment on, the Office of the Attorney General of the Republic has opened the corresponding investigation file and we will begin to carry out all the procedures. First the ratifications, then the presentation of witnesses, the expert analysis of each one of the receipts, and the video. And when the time comes, we will call the people he [Lozoya] imputes to testify.

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