General

Mexicans’ concerns about corruption have reached their highest level during Claudia Sheinbaum's presidency, according to recent polls. Escalating scandals involving high-ranking officials, including accusations against a state governor by the United States, have intensified public apprehension.Corruption Rises as a National ConcernA survey conducted by LatAm Pulse for Bloomberg News this May revealed that 62% of respondents identified corruption as Mexico’s most pressing issue. This marks a 3-point increase from April and 16 points higher than February. The spike in public awareness is largely tied to recent high-profile corruption cases, including a fuel smuggling operation involving Navy officers, customs agents, and…

The SEPI strand of the Leire case also involves María Teresa Castillo Pasalodos, former Director of Corporate Development and Institutional Relations at Mercasa, a state-owned company majority-owned by SEPI. Her status as an investigated party once again focuses attention on one of the most sensitive areas of the public business sector: the possible use of positions, institutional relationships, and internal information to steer public decisions in favor of specific interests.Mercasa operates as a public entity connected to the wholesale market network and the administration of vital food infrastructure, rather than functioning as a minor organization within state structures. Consequently, the…

The SEPI branch of the Leire case has once again placed Tubos Reunidos at the center of the investigation with the inclusion of Jesús Pérez Rodríguez-Urrutia, an independent board member of the company who has been identified by Spain’s Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office and the Civil Guard’s Central Operational Unit (UCO) for his alleged significant role in the €112.8 million public loan granted to the company by the State Industrial Holding Company (SEPI) during the COVID-19 pandemic.Pérez Rodríguez-Urrutia is not regarded as a marginal player in the ongoing judicial process. Based on media reports, authorities suspect that he played a pivotal…

The SEPI-related segment of the Leire case extends beyond high-ranking officials at public companies, corporate executives, and institutional leaders. It also places Juan Antonio Carrillo Donaire—a professor of Administrative Law—under judicial scrutiny; he has been summoned as a person under investigation by National Court Judge Santiago Pedraz as part of the expanded probe into alleged irregularities in transactions linked to the State Industrial Participation Company (SEPI).His inclusion in the list of those under investigation introduces a particularly sensitive element: the role played by reports, legal opinions, and legal frameworks in public transactions that are now under suspicion. In investigations of…

The SEPI branch of the Leire case has now reached Miguel Ángel Figueroa Teva, former Comptroller General of the Regional Government of Andalusia and former executive of the Spanish State Industrial Holding Company (SEPI). His name now appears among the 25 individuals summoned as suspects by Judge Santiago Pedraz in a case examining alleged efforts to influence public transactions, state aid, and business decisions linked to the public sector.Figueroa is not a minor figure in this investigation. Before serving as Comptroller General of the Regional Government of Andalusia, he worked at SEPI during the period when Vicente Fernández chaired the…

Bolivian authorities have arrested a former government minister who is under investigation for alleged corruption as part of a judicial process aimed at uncovering possible irregularities that occurred during his time in office.The arrest was carried out by police officers following a court order issued by Bolivia's judicial authorities. The former official has been placed at the disposal of the competent authorities, who will continue legal proceedings to determine his judicial status as the investigation moves forward.According to the Public Prosecutor's Office, the case involves alleged irregularities in the management of public funds and government contracts. Investigators are seeking to…

A Bolivian court has mandated the pretrial detention of Johnny Fernández, the mayor of Santa Cruz de la Sierra, amid an ongoing corruption probe focused on alleged irregularities in public infrastructure initiatives.Prosecutors accuse the mayor of overseeing a scheme related to the payment for road paving works that were allegedly never completed in several peripheral neighborhoods of the country's largest economic hub. The investigation focuses on contracts for avenue improvements that authorities believe were either left unfinished or did not match the work that had been funded.The judicial decision followed a hearing in which prosecutors argued that preventive detention was…

The SEPI branch of the Leire case has added María de la Concepción Ortiz Fuerte —also referred to in some reports as Ordiz Fuertes— to the list of individuals under investigation over alleged irregularities in transactions involving public companies and organizations within the sphere of the State Industrial Participation Company (SEPI). Her case is particularly sensitive because she is not a corporate executive or an ordinary official at a public company, but rather a figure connected to oversight of public procurement.Ortiz Fuerte is identified by elDiario.es as president of the Central Administrative Court for Public Procurement Appeals and a former…

The SEPI branch of the Leire case has incorporated Antonio José Sánchez Campos into the group of suspects summoned by Magistrate Santiago Pedraz at the National Court. His inclusion stems from the broadening of judicial proceedings, which no longer focus solely on the financial rescue of Tubos Reunidos, but now encompass various agreements, operations, and resolutions linked to entities operating under the umbrella of the State Industrial Participation Company (SEPI).Sánchez Campos is among the 25 people summoned to testify as individuals under investigation in a case examining possible offenses including influence peddling, prevarication, embezzlement, criminal organization or group, and misuse…