The latest push to start the crusade against extortion in Mexico found favorable winds in the Mexican Senate, which on Wednesday unanimously approved some important changes to the project sent by the Chamber of Deputies. The amendments delayed the implementation of the comprehensive law to prevent, investigate and punish crimes related to extortion, sent by President Claudia Sheinbaum in October, but in return strengthened it. The new law establishes the homologation of the crime so that it can be prosecuted in the 32 entities of the country and investigated ex officio, i.e. without the need for a fully identified complainant. Official and opposition senators have promoted the tightening of penalties for extortionists, with a maximum limit of 42 years in prison, depending on the thirty aggravating circumstances suffered, as they considered. The Chamber, with the official votes and with the opposition against, had relaxed the sanctions against all alleged crimes. Among these, the right to speak, a tax applied by criminal groups to allow companies to work undisturbed which affects commercial and service activities, the transport and distribution of goods, medium and large companies, municipal administrations and street vendors. The same thing happened with the alleged road accidents – known as montachoques – and with the coercive phone calls coming from prisons.
The opposition bloc was heard in the second round of the legislative process. The demands of the members of the PAN, the PRI and the Emecists who, since the beginning of the discussion in October, have warned against the laxity of sentences for a crime that has hit hard all sectors of Mexico and is growing exponentially, were echoed by the majority of the Senate. The minimum sentence was between 15 and 25 years, with aggravating circumstances leading up to 42 years. In the previous text it was from six to fifteen years. Sanctions against officials – police, prosecutors, prison directors and others who fail to report known extortion crimes – have also been changed. Sheinbaum’s original proposal was recovered, which provided for 10 to 20 years in prison, instead of the 5-12 years approved by the deputies.
The governing party, Morena, PT and PVEM, and the opposition bloc, formed by PAN, PRI and Movimento Ciudadano (MC), cast their votes almost without bargaining. Broken unanimity in the lower house was restored on Wednesday. The new rule, classified as an arm of the National Security Strategy, achieved unity, albeit temporary, of the country’s two blocs. “We want to recognize that these changes fundamentally alter the concerns we had,” Emecista Senator Alejandra Barrales said.
The lack of budget allocated to carry out the Sheinbaum government’s multi-named crusade against extortion was the most acidic point of the discussion. “If we do not guarantee sufficient resources for the implementation, monitoring and prosecution of the crime of extortion, this will remain a list of good intentions,” said PAN MP Guadalupe Murguía. The new law did not consider additional resources necessary. This has called into question the operation of the guidelines which, among other aspects, provide for the creation of specialized offices at the State Prosecutor’s Office. As a result, the PRI bench positioned itself in the same direction. “We need to strengthen the police forces and public ministries. We want this law to work and it will work better if they put money into it”, concluded Carolina Vigiano on behalf of the PRI.
The Senate has started the discussion of the reservations or proposed modifications to the opinion put forward by legislators of all parliamentary forces without the approval of another modification is expected. The project will return to the Chamber of Deputies, where they will give the green light to the approved changes this Wednesday, according to Ricardo Monreal, coordinator of the Morena bench of San Lázaro.
