Mexican anti-money laundering boss quits in wedding cash scandal
THE head of Mexico’s anti-money laundering unit has stepped down after $35,000 (£26,000) of undeclared cash was found on a private jet ferrying friends to his wedding in Guatemala.
Santiago Nieto had been in charge of Mexico’s financial intelligence unit since 2018, but became embroiled in a scandal after seven envelopes stuffed with $50 bills were found in a black suitcase at Aurora International Airport.
The money belonged to wedding guest Juan Francisco Ealy Ortiz, president of prominent Mexican newspaper El Universal, who was among a number of high-profile attendees to fly in.
A column in the paper on Monday said the money was for medical treatment and had been properly declared to Mexican officials, but reports suggest it was not flagged to Guatemalan authorities and was seized for violating the country’s money-laundering law.
Some passengers were held at the airport for five hours, website Infobae reported.
President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador criticised the affair, saying: “It is a scandalous matter, even when it is a private event.”
Mr Nieto and Carla Humphrey, a counsellor with Mexico’s National Electoral Institute, held their wedding on Saturday in Antigua, Guatemala. They chose to marry abroad for fear that a wedding in Mexico could have been targeted by the Jalisco New Generation Cartel – a drug gang. Attendees included governors and justices, while Mr Lopez Obrador declined to attend.
In a statement, Mr Nieto said: “Due to the criticism derived from acts of third parties related to a personal event, I present my resignation as head of the UIF. My loyalty is to the president. My love is for Carla Humphrey.”
His wife replied: “My absolute and unconditional love is for you. You are, without a doubt, the best thing that ever happened to me. A loyal, admirable and upright man and an exceptional human being who always seeks to help and support those in need.”
The secretary of tourism for Mexico City, Paola Felix, also resigned for breaking the rule that no government officials should fly by private jet.
“I’m in Guatemala at a social event to which I was invited,” she said in a statement. “I travelled on a private flight. It’s false that I have been arrested and it’s false that the flight was paid for by a [government] supplier. I haven’t committed any illegal activity, but I’ve decided to tender my resignation.”
She was pictured flying back to Mexico City on a commercial flight on Sunday.
Mr Lopez Obrador has vowed to crack down on corruption since taking office in 2018.
Mr Nieto, 48, a lawyer, academic and former head of the Special Prosecutor’s Office for Electoral Crimes, will be replaced by Pablo Gomez Alvarez, a government statement said.