MEXICO.- The head of the National Action Party's (PAN) and the leftist Democratic Revolution Party (PRD) will file a joint lawsuit to the General Attorney's Office of Mexico demanding them to investigate the PRI (Institutional Revolutionary Party) for allegedly laundering money.
The complaint, regarding the campaigning expenses of the PRI for the presidential elections of July 01, was made public during a press conference held today by the PAN's president, Gustavo Madero, and the PRD's president, Jesús Zambrano.
They also announced that last night they presented a request to the Federal Institute of Elections (IFE) to speed up the investigation regarding the suspicions about the use of illegal funding for their campaign before the Electoral Court finalizes and confirms the results of the presidential elections, won by the PRI.
Madero made clear that when they make reference to money laundering they don't necessarily mean that the origin of the money is organized crime, but that it could also mean tax evasion or mishandling of public or private funds. "Money laundering encompasses all of this" insisted the PAN's leader.
The PAN's first lawsuit regarding this case was made on June 14, when, as a cautionary measure, they asked the Monex bank's accounts to be frozen for an alleged "illegal handling" of resources by the PRI during their campaign; the IFE did not accept to do so.
These gift cards were supposedly used by the PRI to handle money from a suspicious origin and to pay political operators of the same party, according to the presented reports.
The president of the PAN said that his political party has "matches" with the PRD and that they wish to get to the bottom of the issue which implies a suspected buying of votes through store credit cards.
"We have the certainty that there is forceful, compelling evidence here about the illegal handling of resources in that campaign" he added.
That is why both parties have asked the IFE to "resolve and clarify this before the election's resolution by the Court (expected before August 31) and not ex-post, to know the magnitude, the origin of the illegal funds that have been reported and the alleged money laundering" added Madero.
The rightwing leader (president of the PAN) holds that, with the presented evidence, "the existence of these cards (store credit cards exchanged for votes) is fully recognized as well as the link with the operational structure of the PRI, with the 'electoral army' and the PRI's operators".
"There is material there that compels every Mexican citizen, every democrat, to push for an investigation so that this is clarified and these accusations are penalized" he stated.
During the press conference, the PRD's president acknowledged the political courage of Madero for joining his party (the PRD) to demand the explanation of a potential "illegal financing" of the PRI and its ally, the Green Ecologist Party (PVEM) in favor of their candidate, Enrique Peña Nieto.
When the joint assumption of "money laundering during the PRI's presidential campaign" arouse "we also agreed a few minutes ago to request an interview with the Republic's Attorney General , Marisela Morales" to "formally request" that she "makes the corresponding investigation" with the presented elements, he added.
Zambrano also said that the meeting with the Attorney General "is not a protocol action" but a part of "presenting a report of dubious facts" in which they are working "with the legal teams of both parties".
The PRD and its coalition partners, the Work Party (PT) and the Citizen's Movement have contested the elections and asked for their annulment, strategy not shared by the PAN who, nonetheless, wants the illegal issues regarding the alleged buying of votes clarified.
editorial@sandiegored.com
Translation: Karen B.
