Mining Law to Protect Lithium/Emilio Lozoya case

Mining Law to Protect Lithium. President López Obrador said he has signed the initiative to reform the Mining Law to protect Mexico´s lithium industry, which he will send to the Chamber of Deputies in case his Electrical Reform does not get approved. During the morning conference he addressed foreign companies and governments saying they will not be able to exploit Mexico’s lithium.

Emilio Lozoya case. Regarding the corruption case against Emilio Lozoya, former General Director of PEMEX, López Obrador said the solicited information is being examined and provided instructions that all relevant information should be accounted for.

Another hearing for the Lozoya case was held on Tuesday and it was reported that he would walk free after reaching an agreement to repay the NOC for misplaced funds between 2012 and 2016. However, the plea deal went awry at the last minute. The US$10.7 million figure reported included US$7.385 million for the Obredecht scandal and another US$3.4 million for the inflated market price purchase of Alonso Ancira Elizondo’s Agronitrogenados fertilizer plant. In exchange, both criminal proceedings were to be dropped and Lozoya was supposed to walk free from jail, where he has been detained since Nov. 3, 2021.

Yet at the eleventh hour, the deal suddenly required more time for further negotiations  with PEMEX´s team lawyers who requested two weeks to gather more evidence.

UN Committee. AMLO criticized the United Nation’s (UN) Committee on Enforced Disappearances who issued a report asking the Mexican government to present an organized, immediate and verifiable plan to withdrawal military forces from public security tasks.

Yesterday, a group of UN experts reported  organized crime is to blame for thousands of enforced disappearances registered every year in Mexico, and that the Mexican government is also responsible for this crime when it is perpetuated by its federal, state and municipal officials and impunity is rampant. In that sense, the UN urged the government to abandon its military presence acting as security forces because security public policy has to be in agreement with international human right principals. In response, AMLO said that the UN’s recommendations are being taken into consideration. 

National Vaccination Plan. The Vaccination Plan against COVID-19 is set to conclude in late April.  The president said that after intensifying the vaccination campaign of the third dose, federal, state and municipal governments will increase vaccine applications.

Click HERE for full transcript in Spanish