Fiscal huachicol: Sheinbaum rejects investigation against AMLO

Amid the growing controversy surrounding the fuel theft case reported during Andrés Manuel López Obrador's administration, President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo defended her predecessor and denied any direct responsibility.

During her press conference at the National Palace, Sheinbaum was clear:

“Pure politics, really, pure politics.”

With that statement, the president dismissed the opposition's demand that López Obrador and former Navy Secretary Rafael Ojeda be investigated for a scandal that has already left 14 people arrested, including senior Navy officials.

Sheinbaum explained that the case should be called fuel smuggling, not "huachicol," since it was not about illegal tapping of pipelines, but rather a scheme to evade taxes.

According to the investigation, a ship from the United States entered Mexico reporting cargo other than fuel, thereby avoiding paying millions in taxes.

"That's the modus operandi: declare something else and bring in fuel without paying taxes. That's not fuel theft through pipelines, it's smuggling," he said.

On the other side, the opposition, led by Ricardo Anaya Cortés, coordinator of senators for the PAN, is demanding that the former president's responsibility be clarified.

Anaya recalled that AMLO maintained that a president was always informed about acts of corruption within his government.

"He'll have to explain how he wasn't aware of a scandal of this magnitude," the PAN member demanded.

The legislator even described the episode as "the largest corruption scandal in the country's history," given the multimillion-dollar transactions and the involvement of high-ranking military officers.

The case of the fuel theft scandal in Tamaulipas has become a new front between the government and the opposition. While Sheinbaum seeks to focus attention on combating smuggling and protecting AMLO's image, the opposition parties insist on a thorough investigation.

The political dispute could escalate in the coming months, especially if new evidence emerges linking high-level figures. For now, Sheinbaum has closed ranks with López Obrador and calls the accusations an attempt at political undermining.