Former Mexican Financial Intelligence Unit Director Santiago Nieto. Photo: Síntesis Nacional

By THE PULSE NEWS MEXICO STAFF

Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) said Wednesday, Dec. 8, that the country’s Public Function Secretariat (SFP) should investigate the accumulation of assets of the Treasury Secretariat’s (Hacienda) former head of the Financial Intelligence Unit (UIF), Santiago Nieto, who in 25 months acquired four properties and a car worth at least 40 million pesos.

“An investigation must be carried out,” AMLO said during his daily press conference, which on Wednesday was held in Tepic, Nayarit.

“Nieto has said that the purchases were made with credits he had received, but the Public Function Secretariat can do an investigation. I don’t think there is any problem.”

Nieto served as AMLO’s chief corruption watchdog up until he was forced to resign in November following a scandal related to his lavish wedding in Guatemala.

Earlier this month, it was leaked that the FIU is investigating Nieto’s extravagant spending habits, who allegedly has doled out millions and millions of pesos for exotic cars, luxury properties and international bank transfers.

Also currently being investigated by the FIU for unexplained financial enrichment is Mexican Attorney General Alejandro Gertz Manero, who has used his power to imprison and persecute the widow and family of his late brother, as well as 31 scientists who exposed the fact that he plagiarized his professional thesis.