Mexico Congress urges Pemex to account for spending on safety films

Mexico's Congress on Friday urged state oil company Pemex to account for millions of dollars it spent on a series of melodramatic safety movies between 2009 and 2013.

The permanent commission of Congress backed a motion to request a "detailed report" from Pemex within 15 days about at least 18 movies the company has made since 2009.

Congress said Pemex spent 564 million pesos (US$34.5 million) on the films, which featured plots spiced up with sex, the supernatural and time travel.

Opposition lawmakers and former Pemex officials questioned the value of the films, which were at the center of a Reuters report published last month, sparking calls for an investigation.

The congressional accord issues an "exhortation" to Pemex, but it is non-binding, said an aide working for Lilia Aguilar, the opposition congresswoman who proposed the motion.

Congress ended its regular session on April 30, and the permanent session comprises nearly 40 members of both houses. The next session, with a new lower house, will begin next month.