Mexico’s Defense Ministry (Sedena) revealed that the price taxpayers paid to bring Evo Morales to Mexico amounted to MXN $1,871,695.78.
The Mexican government paid MXN $1,395,173.78 for jet fuel and MXN $476,522 in airport services in South America.
After a person requested the information, authorities issued the documents, which detail that the money was allocated to fuel and airport services when the Mexican Air Force plane landed in Lima, Peru; Asunción, Paraguay, and Mexico City.
On November 11, after president López Obrador granted asylum to Evo Morales, a plane from the Mexican Air Force traveled to Bolivia to bring Morales to Mexico; nevertheless, the crew went through a series of difficulties as Peru, Ecuador, and Bolivia refused to allow the Mexican airplane to cross their air space.
Several hours and diplomatic agreements later, and with the help of Paraguay and Brazil, the Mexican government was able to fly the former Bolivian president to Mexico. A month later, Evo Morales announced his arrival in Argentina and he was granted asylum there.
Evo Morales in Mexico City 2019. (Archive)
Lack of transparency
On December 29, 2019, EL UNIVERSAL revealed that the Mexican army classified the information in regards to the flight that brought Evo Morales to Mexico. Moreover, the information won’t be made public until December 11, 2024; days after president López Obrador leaves office.
Mexico seals Evo Morales’ file for 5 years
Furthermore, Mexico’s intelligence agency, CNI, will seal all the information about Morales until 2028. The government department argues that if released, the information would provide other countries with information about Mexico’s approach to geopolitics.
Meanwhile, the Defense Ministry argues the information has to be sealed to protect the crew that participated in the operation and because the information could affect military activities. The Ministry emphasized that revealing the names of the pilot, copilot, and mechanic who were part of the operation would endanger their lives. However, president López Obrador presented the pilot who flew Evo Morales to Mexico with a medal on November 20th.
Source: El Universal
