U.S. Treasury Department suspends cooperation with Mexico on financial investigations

SignOnSanDiego ^ | 4-23-2004 | AP

[txdoda]

ASSOCIATED PRESS 9:22 a.m. April 23, 2004

MEXICO CITY – The U.S. Treasury Department has suspended cooperation with the Mexican government on financial investigations, a move that could potentially affect drug, money laundering and terrorism financing investigations.

The U.S. Embassy said the Treasury Department sent a letter to the Mexican government saying that, because confidential U.S. information was leaked to the public during a political scandal here, it would no longer cooperate in cross-border investigations.

The letter said the suspension of cooperation, which began Thursday, would be in affect until there are "guarantees that all delicate information will be protected."

Mexican Attorney General Rafael Macedo de la Concha said the move affects information about some 30,000 financial transactions daily, many of which are monitored by both the U.S. and Mexican governments for illegal activity.

The disagreement is over a U.S. report that apparently described dealings of the Mexico City finance director, Gustavo Ponce, who disappeared after clandestine videos of him gambling in Las Vegas were shown on Mexican television this month.

The videos were accompanied by reports – possibly from the U.S. document – describing Ponce's lavish spending in Las Vegas.

Mexico City Mayor Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, embarrassed by the scandal, later waved a copy of the U.S. report during a news conference, saying it proved that federal authorities knew before he did that Ponce was corrupt but took no action.

Lopez Obrador was scheduled to appear before federal investigators later Friday.

Macedo denied that anyone in his department leaked the information, and he said he would investigate to see where the security breach occurred.

"We have to re-establish this flow of information," he said.

[Bigg Red]

Someone in Mexican government is corrupt?

Next, you'll be telling me that they are gambling in Casablanca!

[AdamSelene235]

Will Mexico reciprocate??

In that case, I'd like to open a bank account.

[txdoda]

Someone in Mexican government is corrupt?>>>>>>

That's not really any *news*.........however it's nice to finally hear one US gov't agency admit they know mexico can't be trusted.

Perhaps our Treasury Dept. will now *re-think* their backing on the acceptance of the 'matricula card' in the US. ??

[txdoda]

fyi.....

[tracer]

This whole matter may well be a face-saving pretext for the US sinking the matricula card program.......

[uncitizen]

This whole matter may well be a face-saving pretext for the US sinking the matricula card program.......

Why do you think so?

[FITZ]

It struck me as a way to sabotage the political campaign of Lopez Obrador --- the leading PRD party candidate. Fox's wife of 2 years plans to run from the PAN party and of course the PRI party wants back in. The PRD party has been gaining a lot of popularity and Lopez Obrador was viewed as more honest than most of the rest. Not that he is --- it's hard to believe there are any that are.

[FITZ]

I don't think those videos on Ponce were any accident. I think they know just about any government official from Mexico coming to Las Vegas has big money to play with --- but why just him? Because the PRD might win the popular vote in Mexico?

[txdoda]

This whole matter may well be a face-saving pretext for the US sinking the matricula card program.......>>>>>>>


GOOD !!! Allowing Mexico to issue ID to their lawbreakers in the US has only led to MORE countries lining up to do the same. (also phony MC's sold on street corners)

I guess many in DC also *forgot* these illegals could then 'fly our friendly skies' with these ID's ,also. (some 'Homeland Security'....sheesh)

[texastoo]

They are flying our friendly skies with the Mexican ID.