AMLO’s credibility keeps falling. First the video scandal of his brother Pio taking money. Now the story of when the Mexican Electricians’ Union (SME) financed the sit-in on Reforma Avenue with 66 million pesos… What’s next?
MEXICO CITY (Politico) – The former treasurer of the Mexican Electricians’ Union (SME), Alejandro Muñoz, revealed that since 2012, Martín Esparza, the former SME union leader, gave López Obrador two million pesos a month to finance his sit-in on Reforma in 2006.
It was the SME that financed, according to the former treasurer at that time. The unfortunately remembered sit-in that destroyed businesses and jobs along Paseo de la Reforma in CDMX for several months in 2006, by the then defeated candidate for President of the Republic, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador.
“The quota was 2 million per month, for at least 33 months uninterruptedly”, declares the former treasurer, was contributed by the SME in support of the López Obrador movement in that 2006.
Alejandro Muñoz Reséndiz former SME treasurer
Alejandro Muñoz, the union treasurer, due to his political differences with the Central Committee leadership, that is, Martin Esparza was imprisoned in the Reclusorio Oriente of the CDMX. He was released after almost six months, accused of the union’s fraudulent administration, for the amount of 22.5 million pesos.
Alejandro Muñoz declared in February 2013, when he left the prison that Martin Esparza gave two million pesos a month – at least 66 million pesos in total – to Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador from 2006 to 2012.
According to Muñoz, this amount was intended to finance the sit-in at Paseo de la Reforma and presumably for the movement in support of AMLO.
In a radio interview with Oscar Mario Beteta in February 2013, Muñoz Reséndiz said: “López Obrador brags about an image of honesty, justice, and anti-corruption. What name should be given to him, when two million pesos a month were allocated to López Obrador’s movement from the Reform sit-in?”
According to the former treasurer, the money deliveries were monthly, in cash, briefcases, and the place of delivery was the restaurant “El Círculo del Sureste.”
The unionist said that he, in his capacity as treasurer, delivered consumption notes of one million pesos per week, and from there, the amount was destined to support López Obrador.
Lopez Obrador with Martin Esparza
For their part, liquidated and retired workers of the former Luz y Fuerza del Centro filed a complaint with the National Electoral Institute (INE) since late 2019 against the then-presidential candidate for the Progressive Movement coalition, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, for allegedly having received funding from the Mexican Electricians’ Union.
Why didn’t the government proceed legally after these critical accusations in that year of 2013, when the PRI was already governing Enrique Peña Nieto? Was there a political settlement as is presumably the case today with PRI member Emilio Lozoya?
As Franklin D. Roosevelt used to say: In politics, nothing happens by accident. If it happens, you can bet it was planned that way.
