Mexico City
President Andrés Manuel López Obrador reported that the company offered Vitol $ 30 million to pay damages for the alleged bribes it gave to Pemex officials between 2015 and 2020.
During the morning conference at the National Palace, the President explained that they were not accepted in the first place, but that they were first asked who received funds and then the intervention of the attorney general of the republic was raised (FGR) to define responsibilities.
Now they say ‘we want to repair the damage to Mexico with this $ 17 million plus another amount, about $ 30 million.’ It is important to us that they tell us who received the bribe. If we don’t know who we can’t accept the alleged compensation for the damage because we would be cover-ups, accomplicesVitol needs to know that. What have I asked Octavio ?: Let the prosecution decide, ”he said.
In addition, López Obrador ordered his work team to take the necessary steps for the United States, the country where the alleged bribes were disclosed, so that the identities of those involved are known and the damage they have caused can be charged.
In turn, the director of Petróleos Mexicanos (Pemex), Octavio Romero, said that if those funds reach the treasury will be integrated into the Institute to give back to the stolen people (Indep).
Romero said they have so far been unable to find out which officials are involved, arguing that it would harm a fair trial
“We engage with them, mainly because of the contracts we have, arguing that we cannot work with a company that recognizes corruption, let alone it is unknown who made the agreement and which official is referring,” he emphasized.
Last year, Vitol agreed to pay about $ 164 million in the United States to solve an investigation into alleged corruption by the Swiss company in Brazil, Ecuador and Mexico, amounting to up to $ 2 million.
LP