Authorities will investigate Emilio Lozoya’s alleged electoral crimes

A federal tribunal has confirmed that the Prosecutor’s Office for Electoral Crimes (FEDE) must continue investigating former Pemex chief Emilio Lozoya Austin, who allegedly received millions from Odebrecht to finance the PRI’s electoral campaigns in 2015.

A Mexico City tribunal issued the verdict, confirming a judge’s decision to deny a writ of amparo to Lozoya Austin.

In 2019 the FEDE announced its decision to continue investigating the bribes Lozoya allegedly received from Odebrecht in 2014, which were allocated to the 2015 elections.

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In a document released in June 2019, the FEDE stated the electoral crimes perpetrated in 2012, regarding the alleged illicit financing of Enrique Peña Nieto’s campaign, had prescribed; however, it did include the crimes perpetrated in 2014.

Although the tribunal issued a verdict on August 27, the judge handling the case received the notification today.

The verdict confirms the Prosecutor’s Office for Electoral Crimes will continue investigating Lozoya Austin and the alleged bribes he received from Odebrecht to finance the PRI .

According to Emilio Lozoya, Peña Nieto and Luis Videgaray ordered him to give the money to foreign electoral advisers who collaborated in the PRI’s presidential campaign.

In July 2019, Emilio Lozoya's former lawyer asked Peña Nieto and Luis Videgaray to testify in connection with his case.

Enrique Peña Nieto’s presidential campaign

EL UNIVERSAL first reported rumors surrounding Enrique Peña Nieto’s 2012 campaign in October 2019, .

Two former Mossad agents had dinner with two high-ranking Pemex officials in an upscale restaurant in Mexico City and recorded their conversation. One of the former officials revealed an extensive bribery scheme.

Back then, the Wall Street Journal released 2017 recordings featuring former Pemex deputy director, José Carlos Pacheco, who describes the corruption networks and bribery schemes inside Pemex.

The recordings were made by a private investigation agency, Black Cube, which seemed to prove that Pemex officials conspired to bankrupt company Oro Negro.

According to the WSJ, two former Mossad agents who now work for Black Cube met with José Carlos Pacheco in a restaurant in Mexico City in October 2017. The agents posed as intermediaries for a wealthy investor from the United Arab Emirates, who was interested in purchasing Oro Negro.

The agents asked if Oro Negro would obtain better contracts with Pemex if the fictitious UAE company they were representing bribed Pemex officials and asked how the bribery scheme worked. Then Pecheco starts to explain the mechanism.

Pacheco goes on to explain that several Pemex officials accept payments through family members or through simulated consultancies, established to launder money.

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“There are deputy directors, for example, who used their son to receive payments and everyone knows it,” he said.

According to Pacheco, there were Pemex officials who created a shell company in Singapore and another executive who created 20 companies, which were controlled by his father, to accept and launder money.

Pacheco also said that Emilio Lozoya asked for between USD 50,000 and USD 100,000 for a meeting.

In the recordings, it can also he heard that former Pemex officials asked for up to USD 5 million in bribes.

Yet the most explosive statement made by Pacheco involves Enrique Peña Nieto, the former Mexican President. According to Pacheco, Carlos Morales, who was considered as the second in charge at Pemex for many years and who worked as the director of Pemex Exploration and Production (PEP), raised MXN 2,000 million for Enrique Peña Nieto's presidential campaign in 2012.

“Carlos Morales supported Enrique Peña Nieto's campaign with all the contractors: they raised over MXN 2,000 million. Then, he survived (in the position) for a year and a half.”

Oro Negro is using these conversations in a legal battle, where they claim that Pemex violated the contracts they signed because the company refused to pay bribes.

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