Mexico's Senate approves "toned-down" anti-corruption laws

Mexico's Senate approved the General Law of the National Anticorruption System and the General Law on Administrative Responsibilities also known as “Ley 3 de 3” (3 of 3 Act), that compels businessmen or institutions that receive public funds or sign contracts with the three levels of government to submit three declarations: assets, conflict of interest and tax return.

Originally the proposal was to make these declarations compulsory for government officials, legislators, judges, ministers and union leaders, but the approved law states that they will only be made public with the consent of the declarant.

At total of 51 legislators from the National Action Party (PAN) and the Democratic Revolution Party (PRD) voted in favor of the law, while 59 of the ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), the Green Party (PVEM) and an independent senator voted against. A group of 14 senators could have changed the balance, but when the voting was about to take place, they left the session or simply abstained from voting.

The Senate also approved changes to the criminal code so that legislators who demand bribes can be punished with up to 14 years of prison and a fine of 300,000 units of measure. Also, it states that embezzlement can be punished with up to 18.5 years of jail for government officials.

President Enrique Peña Nieto said on Twitter that these laws will change the paradigm in favor of integrity in public service.

Gustavo de Hoyos, chairman of the Mexican Employers' Association (Coparmex), said that the toned-down law shows that “legislators are not up to the needs of the population.”

María Elena Pérez Jaén, ex commissioner of the former Federal Institute of Access to Information (IFAI), said that the discretionality given to government officials to submit their declarations constitutes a setback in the fight against corruption. María Marván Laborde, another ex commissioner of the IFAI, agrees. She said that the essence of the law was lost because of this discretionality.