In the country of impunity power uses criminal justice with selective and often political interest. It is not from now, it has been almost always. It is not about applying the law or an act of justice, it is intended to gain a political advantage, almost always against an uncomfortable adversary. Despite such a long tradition, what happened in the 2018 presidential campaign represents an ominous precedent that threatens to repeat itself.
The chronicle is simple, as were those who plotted the file. The group in power resolved that PRI opt for a Filopanist candidate, José Antonio Meade with the idea that he would drag the vote of the PAN members, in addition to the PRI members. The PRI had obtained 31% in the intermediate election, the PVEM 7% and the PAN 22%. It was thought with supine lightness that if half of the blues voted for Meade, he would easily win the presidency, particularly due to the divisions between the Calderonistas and the Anayistas.
The president Peña bought the idea of throwing Ricardo Anaya out of the race with the accusation of money laundering and with that the election would be between two; polarization would lead Meade to victory. Thus, Ricardo Anaya had to face a double confrontation, the one derived from the election and the one that resulted from a criminal case built with perversity and incompetence.The beneficiary was López Obrador, he won with an absolute majority and incidentally won the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies, as well as victories in almost all concurrent local elections. Meade, Peña’s candidate, obtained 16% of the votes, much less than half of the tricolor and the PVEM in 2015.
Two days before Peña concluded, the PGR decided to drop the charges against Anaya for lack of of tests; the precedent remained and in another case of highly debatable legal basis, the statement as a witness in search of procedural benefits, Emilio Lozoya, the FGR called him to testify with the intention of proceeding with the arrest of he. As of August 2021, the former presidential candidate lives in exile in the US, waiting, once again, for political reasons to yield to legal justice.
Santiago Nieto It was lucky of hitman of the president in relation to his real or imaginary adversaries, even if it were the president commissioner of the CRE, Guillermo Palacios Alcocer, businessmen and journalists allegedly linked to the production and dissemination of the documentary on populism. He used everything, including investigating the lives and businesses of relatives. In this, the presumption of innocence, banking and financial secrecy, the reservation of personal data and the right to dignity and good name were violated. Early abuse of authority set precedent. The fear of lynching in the morning and the illegal and discretionary blockade of UIF are among the most effective instruments to subdue. Fortunately Pablo Gómez has had the care and prudence that his predecessor did not have.
It should be a concern that in the prosecutor’s office of the government of Mexico City cases of alleged political use of criminal justice are observed. The case involves city hall authorities, such as Alejandra Cuevas or Santiago Taboada, as well as close collaborators of Marcelo Ebrard in the investigation into the collapse of Metro line 12. It is not about those who have an opposition political status gaining impunity, no. If there is a responsibility that the law is rigorously applied, be it an opponent or an ally such as the governor of Campeche, pointed out for venality in her transit in the mayor’s office of Álvaro Obregón; that the principle of equality before the law be vindicated, which is precisely not happening in Mexico City and almost nowhere in the country. Impunity prevails, and this consideration itself calls into question the haste and the investigations carried out in the Mexico City prosecutor’s office.
The prosecutor Ernestina Godoy has been a legislator and activist for pro-regime parties. Her performance forces her to prudence, to the rigor of her investigations and to what is not noticed: independence from the ruler and her political interest. Criminal justice in an ominous way, a precedent from the past that becomes present and threatens to be the currency of the future.