'I I believe it's an accomplishment that there is no impunity' - Mexican president on detention of former cabinet minister

Record ID: 1427032

  • Title: 'I I believe it's an accomplishment that there is no impunity' - Mexican president on detention of former cabinet minister
  • Date: 13th August 2019
  • Summary: MEXICO CITY, MEXICO (FILE - AUGUST 27, 2015) (REUTERS) ***WARNING: CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** FORMER MEXICAN PRESIDENT, ENRIQUE PENA NIETO, GREETING FORMER MEXICAN CABINET MINISTER, ROSARIO ROBLES AUDIENCE APPLAUDING VARIOUS, PENA NIETO SPEAKING ROBLES (CENTER) ON STAGE GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS ON STAGE
  • Embargoed: 27th August 2019 22:45
  • Keywords: Mexico President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador Enrique Pena Nieto cabinet minister Rosario Robles corruption jail prison
  • Location: MEXICO CITY, MEXICO
  • City: MEXICO CITY, MEXICO
  • Country: Mexico
  • Topics: Crime/Law/Justice
  • Reuters ID: LVA003AS1YVD3
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text:A judge ordered a former Mexican Cabinet minister to be detained pending a trial over suspected losses to taxpayers, her lawyer said on Tuesday (August 13), opening a new front in President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador's campaign to eradicate corruption.
    The detention of former social development minister Rosario Robles is likely to ramp up scrutiny of the administration of Lopez Obrador's predecessor, Enrique Pena Nieto, whose 2012-2018 presidency was plagued by graft scandals.
    Lopez Obrador has made rooting out corruption the cornerstone of his career, though he took office in December saying he did not want to rake through the past.
    Lopez Obrador told his regular morning news conference he was aware of Robles' detention and said judicial authorities would decide whether others were implicated in the case.
    When asked whether the Robles case represented an achievement for his administration, Lopez Obrador said: "I believe it's an accomplishment that there is no impunity."
    Prosecutors have accused Robles, a former party colleague of Lopez Obrador, of "improper exercise of public service."
    Robles last week appeared in court over prosecution claims that more than 5 billion pesos ($258 million) destined for welfare programs during her tenure had gone missing at the ministry, according to local media reports.
    The attorney general's office has declined to give details of the case, but the investigation has fueled accusations that the money was siphoned off. Robles denies the allegations.
    Julio Hernandez, a lawyer for Robles, said on local television that she will fight the accusations.
    A fixture in Mexican politics for two decades, Robles was the first female mayor of Mexico City, serving on an interim basis before Lopez Obrador became mayor of the capital.
    (Production: Roberto Ramirez)
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