Anti-Graft Chief, Virgilio Andrade, Resigns at Dawn of New Corruption Rules Gabriel Stargardter and Ana Isabel Martinez - Reuters Canada
go to original July 18, 2016

Former SFP head Virgilio Andrade (EE)

Mexico's chief anti-corruption official, who last year exonerated President Enrique Pena Nieto of conflict-of-interest allegations, resigned on Monday, just hours before new graft-fighting legislation comes into effect.

Virgilio Andrade, head of the Public Administration Ministry (SFP), the government's main anti-corruption auditor, was appointed by Pena Nieto in 2015.

He was immediately asked to investigate the president, first lady Angelica Rivera and Finance Minster Luis Videgaray over revelations they had bought or made use of homes belonging to a major government contractor.

The opposition accused Andrade of a whitewash when the months-long probe exonerated all three of wrongdoing, just as the president was pledging to get tough on entrenched political corruption in Latin America's No. 2 economy.

Under the new anti-corruption measures, which the opposition has accused Pena Nieto's ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) of seeking to water down, the new head of the SFP must now be ratified by the Senate before taking office.

Andrade said in a televised address he was standing down to make way for the implementation of the new anti-corruption system, set to be promulgated by the president later on Monday.

Read the rest at Reuters Canada

Related: President Pena Nieto Apologizes for Wife's Mansion Scandal, Asks Mexicans for Their Forgiveness (Associated Press)

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