This article first appeared in CNN Chile on May 8, 2021.
The President of Mexico, Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO), informed that a diplomatic note has been sent to the Government of the United States requesting an explanation for the alleged financing of a civil organization, Mexicans Against Corruption and Impunity.
“It is a wrong practice of the U.S. Government to finance groups opposing legitimately instituted governments. No government should intervene in the public life of a country“, said López Obrador.
AMLO explained that they are requesting the withdrawal of funding to the organization because it is an opposition group to his mandate.
“It is an act of interventionism that violates our sovereignty, because a foreign government cannot provide financing to political groups in another country,” said López Obrador. The Mexican president described as reprehensible that an organization is receiving financing from a foreign government.
For its part, the organization defended itself this Friday through messages on Twitter. In one, it said: “We strongly reject the use of concepts such as interference, interventionism or coup d’état, uttered from the National Palace, to disqualify our work”.
In another, it stated: “Our commitment to Mexican society and democracy is unwavering and we ask that the attack that has become a constant in the official discourse cease”.
Mexicans Against Corruption and Impunity received funding from the United States through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). According to the U.S. agency, it provided US$2,250,000 to the organization between 2018 and 2021 to support “the development of applied research, citizen engagement, investigative journalism, and strategic litigation to advance policy and legal reforms to combat corruption.”
The nonprofit civil society organization conducts investigative journalism on corruption in Mexico’s public and private sectors. Since its founding in 2015, it has conducted investigations into the administration of former President Enrique Peña Nieto. And during the administration of President López Obrador it has also done reports.
So far, the U.S. Government has not publicly responded to the note sent by the Government of Mexico.
Regarding this news, as BH Compliance team, we believe that funding to fight corruption is always necessary, where the more resources and commitment, the better. However, it is also important to investigate in detail a possible political intervention. End doesn’t justify the means.
