During the morning conference on Thursday, May 1st, Pablo Gómez Álvarez, head of the Financial Intelligence Unit (UIF), accused former president Ernesto Zedillo of lying regarding the transparency of the audit of the Bank Savings Protection Fund (Fobaproa). Gómez stated that Zedillo deliberately concealed information about the financial mechanism implemented in 1995 to rescue banks after the economic crisis of 1994.
"What we just saw is a good synthetic presentation of a tragedy that could have been avoided with a little sense of responsibility towards the people of Mexico, with a little patriotism, and with a lot of courage and decision befitting the circumstances, none of which prevailed in the power of that time."
The head of the UIF explained that the audit report, conducted in 1999 by Michael Mackey, was delivered on an encrypted disk with five passwords distributed among the PRI, PAN, PRD, PT, and PVEM factions in Congress. With this, he symbolically handed President Claudia Sheinbaum a document with the audit results, as evidence that Zedillo's government sought to conceal the irregularities of the Fobaproa, which converted private debts into public debt.
President Claudia Sheinbaum requested to project a video about the Fobaproa, in which she highlighted that this action benefited large businessmen and politicians, such as Vicente Fox and Carlos Hank, while the population faced consequences, including unpayable debts and an increase in the economic crisis. The debt mentioned by the head is estimated at 73 billion 775 million pesos at the time and is still being paid by Mexicans.
The president endorsed the statements, emphasizing that the Fobaproa is an example of corruption and the relationship between economic and political power during Zedillo's government. This assertion occurs in the context of a series of confrontations between Zedillo and the current government, following the former president's criticisms of judicial reform and his accusation that Mexico lives under an "authoritarian regime."
Both Sheinbaum and Gómez insisted on the importance of new generations knowing the impact of Fobaproa. During the morning briefing on Friday, the president presented a mini-documentary that highlighted the acts carried out during Zedillo's six-year term.
"Let the citizenry and the people of Mexico draw their conclusions, let everyone decide with information where there is authoritarianism, freedom, and democracy," the president pointed out regarding the accusations she has received from this figure about an alleged authoritarianism being exercised currently.
