Mexico’s president, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, said Wednesday he supports a corruption probe into former presidents and other administration officials, saying they should testify about what they know.
Former chief of state oil firm Pemex, Emilio Lozoya, filed a complaint Tuesday alleging that former president Enrique Pena Nieto and his ex-finance minister, Luis Videgaray, instructed Lozoya to orchestrate payments to Pena Nieto’s 2012 presidential campaign, and buy votes from members of parliament.
The attorney general’s office announced that it has opened an investigation based on Lozoya’s complaint. It will also explore allegations that Brazilian construction company Odebrecht, which has admitted to involvement in widespread corruption in Latin America, partially funded the bribing scheme.
The total sum amounts to an excess of $4 million, said Attorney General Alejandro Gertz Manero in a video statement.
Pena Nieto and Videgaray are also accused of bribing officials to pass an energy reform bill.
Lozoya was extradited from Spain last month after evading custody for several months. He was a top administrator on Pena Nieto’s campaign team and ran Pemex from 2012 to 2106.
Neither Pena Nieto nor Videgaray have commented on the matter.
President Lopez Obrador campaigned on fighting corruption, but has hesitated until now in pursuing former presidents, saying that he does not seek revenge.
