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Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum denied this Tuesday that Andrés Manuel López Beltrán, son of former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (2018-2024), had been under the scrutiny of authorities for fuel smuggling, and demanded that the United States present evidence if it intends to link the revocation of his visa to any crime.
“He was not, and as I mentioned on Friday, from our point of view, this is a political matter,” the president replied when questioned about reports linking the former leader's son to a “fiscal fuel smuggling” network, as fuel smuggling to evade taxes is known in Mexico.
Sheinbaum’s position comes after the leadership of the opposition National Action Party (PAN) demanded an investigation into López Beltrán for alleged ties to fuel smuggling networks following the news of the revocation of his US visa.
“If there is a crime to be prosecuted, there are mechanisms for them to give us the information,” the president asserted during her morning press conference at the National Palace.
The leader maintained that the withdrawal of a visa is an exclusive decision of Washington, but warned that any criminal allegation must be supported by evidence.
“So, is there a crime? Let the crime be shown (...) there must be proof, there must always be proof. Because otherwise, it is a matter of interference,” she stated.
Sheinbaum considered the US decision to have political motivations and accused sectors of the US government of using these types of measures against the political project she represents.
The president also affirmed that the United States “always seeks for Mexico to become a topic for its election,” in reference to the November polls in that country, although she ruled out that the controversy implies a breakdown in bilateral relations.
In that sense, she reaffirmed her government's policy of “coordination without subordination” regarding Washington and emphasized that “in Mexico, Mexicans decide, no one else decides.”
The president also accused the Mexican opposition of using the controversy to attack her government because, she stated, “since the opposition has no national project, they use this to attack.”
Sheinbaum also defended the actions taken against fuel smuggling and assured that this crime “decreased significantly” thanks to, among other measures, greater control of customs.
She announced that she had asked the Attorney General’s Office (FGR) to report on the investigations and arrests related to these networks, while her government prepares data from the Energy Secretariat and other agencies on the fight against illegal fuel trade.
[Publicidad]