Alleged Fraud in CFE Contracts / COVID-19 Could Spike Again
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Alleged Fraud in CFE Contracts / COVID-19 Could Spike Again

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Ricardo Guzman By Ricardo Guzman | Editor - Tue, 06/30/2020 - 11:46

Alleged fraud in CFE contracts. After a court yesterday ruled against Minister of Energy (SENER) Rocío Nahle's new energy policy, President López Obrador reported on alleged fraud in electric power contracts signed by CFE, in which public officials and private companies colluded, he said. “Officials agreed with private companies, a tender was held for CFE to buy electricity from these private companies, but then another contract that bypassed the bidding process was signed at higher rates,” he explained. The president said complaints against companies and officials who endorsed fraudulent contracts will be filed. “We have already estimated the damage to the Treasury (SHCP). We want to talk to the companies,” he said.

COVID-19 may rebound and match influenza. Deputy Minister of Health Hugo López-Gatell said Mexico could experience a spike in COVID-19 cases from October until March 2021, which would be in sync with the influenza season. “COVID could add to the influenza season that runs from October to March,” he said. López-Gatell said there is a chance that the virus could spike again in every country and the disease could last from two to three years. He noted that a contagion slowdown has already started in Mexico.

Obedient and without symptoms. President López Obrador said he has followed all recommendations from his doctors, and for that reason he has no COVID-19 symptoms. “I am obedient (with doctors), I adhere to health protocols and recommendations. We take care of ourselves and I have no symptoms,” he said without providing specifics on the possibility of being an asymptomatic case. López Obrador said another duty of his administration is to inspire people in the face of adversity, since many illnesses are related to a person’s state of mind. “If one flinches or gets depressed, then any illness can hit him. If we are optimistic and push forward, then we can overcome,” he said.

China would be next trip abroad. President López Obrador said that if he has to make another trip abroad then he would choose China. “I have a commitment to go to China, but I have to wait since it is a longer trip and I really don't like traveling abroad. I have always thought that the best foreign policy is interior policy,” he said. Regarding his visit to the US in July, López Obrador said he wouldn’t ask for loans or financial rescues, as had happened with past administrations where, he said, even Mexican oil was mortgaged to secure a rescue plan.


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Click HERE for full transcript in Spanish

Photo by:   Presidencia de la República

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