Lozoya and 24 More Hit With Additional Corruption Charges
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Lozoya and 24 More Hit With Additional Corruption Charges

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Thu, 04/01/2021 - 11:07

SHCP’s Financial Intelligence Unit (UIF) has announced another round of accusations against former PEMEX Director Emilio Lozoya Austin and 24 additional people and companies tied to the NOC, reports Aristegui Noticias. These accusations detail the strategy through which the allegedly guilty parties stole over US$19.5 million from PEMEX’s coffers. The schemes in question involved the routing of funds through contracts issued by PEMEX to companies and their leaders. Among these are a number of former PEMEX Exploration and Production (PEP) supervisors, such as Héctor Vera Argüelles, in charge of Scheduling and Evaluation Coordination at PEP, and Diana Beatriz Torres Gallardo, Superintendent of Industrial Safety Auditing at PEP. The accusations have not been formalized by the judicial branch yet so they have not resulted in even more arrest orders for Lozoya and others. 

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Romero Deschamps Also Accused by UIF

Former STPRM leader Carlos Romero Deschamps has also been mentioned by UIF as part of their investigations into corruption within the Mexican oil and gas industry, reports Expansión. President López Obrador also mentioned the accusations against Romero Deschamps, detailing that UIF showed that there are complaints included in the prosecution against Romero Deschamps for deposits totaling US$ 14.9 million. The origin of the deposits still needs to be defined by law enforcement officials and the prosecution before defining whether or not Deschamps is guilty of anything in this particular case. 

New Energy Reform Sent to Congress

President López Obrador has sent a preliminary law proposal to congress that seeks to grant PEMEX more control over the pricing, market and commercialization of fuels, reports El Financiero. This proposal would give SENER more leeway in suspending previously issued permits if deemed necessary “for the good of the nation”. This document is considered a direct attack on the legal framework established by former president Peña Nieto’s 2014 Energy Reform. Legislators and representatives from both SENER and PEMEX declined to comment on the proposal. Furthermore, President López Obrador stated that Mexico has to be self-sufficient when it comes to its energy and that the Energy Reform that was approved in the previous administration was a result of bribes that were handed over to legislators. 

Mexico Among Top Deepwater Growth Drivers

Rystad Energy has announced that drilling activity all over the world can expect to grow during 2021 and 2022 but also lag behind pre-pandemic levels. Of those drilling subsectors analyzed, deepwater drilling is likely to see growth coming from Brazil, Guyana and Mexico, reports Guyana Petroleum Digest. The announcement reports that deepwater activity in Europe and Africa is expected to remain stagnant, and that the onshore drilling segment will remain more cautious in its progress. 

Chrysaor and Premier Oil Finalize Merger

Major industry players Chrysaor and Premier Oil have finalized their merger and will now be known as Harbour Energy, reports Offshore Engineer. Harbour Energy instantly becomes the largest UK oil and gas producer in the North Sea. However, part of the merger’s objective will be to begin the company’s transition towards low carbon energy sources. Premier Oil’s stock price has doubled since October of last year.

Photo by:   PEMEX

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