Politics: The Lozoya case devolves into a media circus
At the end of July, when it became clear that former Pemex CEO Emilio Lozoya was willing to collaborate with the authorities to avoid his own prosecution, we asked in these pages if this marked the beginning of a serious effort to prosecute those involved in the vast web of corruption at the state oil company, or if it was just the first act in a media circus orchestrated to sway voters at a time when the administration of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador is saddled with his handling of the pandemic and the country’s economic crisis. After one month it is clear that the second hypothesis is taking effect.
Some of the information Lozoya has offered is imprecise, and he often contradicts himself with his claims. But more troubling is the manner in which many of his accusations and collaborating evidence, as well as a series of videos apparently from a separate source that appear to incriminate major PAN and PRI politicians, have been leaked only shortly after AMLO suggested that the public deserved a look at these pieces of written and video evidence. All of this raises serious doubts as to whether any of it is any longer legally valid in a court of law.
Lozoya’s 63-page statement offers a narrative of the events and the people implicated in bribery schemes, but also lays bare the logic underpinning the agreement reached between the former Pemex CEO and the AMLO government, as much for the names of obvious suspects and cases that are never mentioned as for those who are cited, including two former presidents whose names abruptly appear, although with no evidence linking them to the alleged malfeasance at Pemex.
One suggestion as to just how far AMLO wants to go in prosecuting this in the court of public opinion is his new push to put a public consultation on the ballot as part of next June's midterm elections. But it seems there is more than one ringmaster in this media circus, as a week ago a video of money changing hands was leaked, in which the brother of López Obrador is seen taking possession of 1.44 million pesos for Morena’s inaugural election campaign. It seems the show will go on.
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