Only 7 in 100 Corruption Cases in Mexico End in Sanctions, Report Finds

Mérida, Yucatán — Only seven out of every 100 corruption investigations in Mexico end with any kind of sanction, according to a new report from Transparencia Mexicana, the Mexican chapter of Transparency International.

The study, released days before a package of anti-corruption reforms is submitted to Congress, found that just 7.1% of cases investigated by federal and state oversight bodies resulted in sanctions from administrative justice courts.

Researchers compiled data from the superior audit institutions and administrative justice tribunals of all 32 states, along with their federal counterparts.

The analysis focuses on authority these institutions received under a 2015 constitutional reform, which gave federal and state audit agencies greater power to investigate serious administrative misconduct linked to corruption.

More than a decade later, the findings show a wide gap between the number of cases investigated and those that ultimately receive punishment.

Transparencia Mexicana said the study provides results at both the federal level and for each of the 32 states, as well as an overall assessment covering the period since the reform took effect.

The document will be delivered to Congress so it can be considered during debate over proposed changes to audit and oversight legislation later this year.

Ending Immunity Not Enough, Watchdog Warns

Ahead of the legislative discussion, Transparencia Mexicana welcomed the proposal to review the procedural immunity enjoyed by public officials, known as the “fuero,” but warned the measure alone will not guarantee that corruption cases are punished.

“We agree with the legislative proposal to review procedural immunity, the so-called ‘fuero,’ to make it easier to investigate government corruption cases, but we also consider it essential to increase the likelihood that corruption investigations lead to sanctions,” said Eduardo Bohórquez, the group’s executive director.

Bohórquez added that removing procedural immunity will only be relevant if the measure is accompanied by other actions aimed at preventing cases from ending in administrative or criminal impunity.

The research is part of the “Anti-Corruption for the Reduction of Inequalities” project developed by the Mexican chapter of Transparency International.

According to Transparencia Mexicana, the results will allow the executive and legislative branches to evaluate how the current legal framework is functioning and determine whether additional changes are needed to ensure that investigations into possible corruption actually conclude with sanctions.