Mexico’s attorney general investigating ex-president

MEXICO City — Mexico’s Attorney General’s Office said Tuesday that it has opened a number of traces of investigation against former President Enrique Peña Nieto, quite a few months following the country’s anti-cash laundering company accused the former leader of handling tens of millions of bucks in perhaps illegal cash.

Peña Nieto is under investigation for election-connected crimes tied to enterprise, revenue laundering and illicit enrichment, according to a statement from the Legal professional General’s Business.

The press statement referred to him only as “Enrique ‘P’” in maintaining with Mexican policy of not determining individuals accused of crimes. But an official with the prosecutor’s workplace confirmed that it worried Peña Nieto.

Peña Nieto governed Mexico from 2012 to 2018 and has considering that been living in Spain. When the legal complaint from the Economic Intelligence Unit was introduced past thirty day period, Peña Nieto wrote in his Twitter account that his dollars was lawfully received.

No rates have been filed.

Last month, Pablo Gomez, the head of the unit mentioned a company run by Peña Nieto’s household had “a symbiotic relationship” with a business that been given about $500 million in authorities contracts although he was president.

Tuesday’s announcement did not include several details, but it did name Spanish development business OHL, which has a subsidiary in Mexico, as currently being concerned in a number of the allegations from Peña Nieto. It claimed fees could appear in that investigation in the coming months.

Gomez experienced also claimed Peña Nieto acquired income transfers from a relative, apparently joined to two organizations — his family’s and one particular acquiring federal government contracts — for about $1.3 million soon after leaving office environment.

In 2016, Mexico’s National Banking and Stock Fee fined OHL the equal of additional than $4 million above alleged accounting irregularities, the biggest penalty ever issued by the physique at the time.

OHL’s Mexican subsidiary mentioned at the time that it “has usually acted with transparency and with the very best company methods.”

A year previously, OHL was embroiled in a scandal in Mexico about probable corruption similar to freeway contracts. Recordings surfaced that purported to present business executives speaking about bribes and plotting to elevate street tolls.