Mexico’s Attorney General’s Office investigates former President Peña Nieto for money laundering and illicit enrichment

Mexico’s Attorney General’s Office has informed that an investigation against former Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto for allegedly committing crimes of money laundering, electoral crimes and illicit enrichment is “underway”.

The first case that the Mexican Public Prosecutor’s Office keeps open against the former president is related to several complaints involving the Spanish construction company OHL, both for electoral and patrimonial crimes. “In this investigation, the advances will allow prosecutions in the coming months,” said the Prosecutor’s Office in a statement.

According to the investigations of the judicial body, the permit for such concession should not have been delivered by the state authorities, since it would be a federal road, in addition to the fact that the tender was delivered to the Spanish construction company, despite the fact that its proposal was less profitable, as reported by ‘El Universal’.

Another of the open cases is related on the basis of complaints filed by the tax authorities and would integrate crimes of money laundering and illegal international transfers.

In this sense, the Financial Intelligence Unit (UIF) detected a scheme by which the former president would have received 1.25 million euros through international financial transfers from Mexico to Spain, according to the aforementioned newspaper.

There is also an investigation folder for illicit enrichment, in which the fiscal and patrimonial rulings of the Mexican authorities are being carried out through the corresponding institutions and specialized experts in the matter.

“As procedural results are obtained, in which the public versions that the law authorizes can be given, this will be done immediately,” the Prosecutor’s Office has assured in writing.

Last July 7, the Prosecutor’s Office already announced the opening of a file against Peña Nieto for allegedly receiving irregular transfers from Spain.

At that time, the current Mexican president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, assured that the investigation of the Public Prosecutor’s Office did not respond to reprisals.

“Our adversaries, who are good at inventing things, talk about pacts and agreements. Then they would like us to hide information to say that former President Peña Nieto is being protected”, he expressed, in view of the accusations that highlighted the possibility that such investigation was caused by retaliation.