Mexico’s Anti-Money Laundering Chief Resigns After Wedding Scandal in Guatemala
Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (L) speaks to the Head of Financial Intelligence Unit of the Secretariat of Finance and Public Credit (SHCP), Santiago Nieto, during a press conference at the National Palace in Mexico City on March 4, 2020. - Lopez Obrador compared the Mexican peso to the US dollar in times of the coronavirus epidemic, while Nieto talked about blocking bank accounts of the religious leader of the Light of the World church, Nasson Joaquin Garcia. ALFREDO ESTRELLA/AFP via Getty Images

Mexico's anti-money laundering chief, Santiago Nieto, has resigned amid a scandal linked to his wedding in Guatemala.

Nieto, who is known to be a trusted ally of Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, announced his resignation on Monday.

The head of the Financial Intelligence Unit's resignation was announced after Guatemalan authorities had confiscated $35,000 in cash, according to an Aljazeera report. The cash was seized from a private jet carrying influential guests to Nieto's wedding,

Nieto married Mexico's National Electoral Institute counselor in the city of Antigua.

Lopez Obrador said he accepted the recognition and noted that the private planes, lavish foreign weddings, and the seized cash had already done their damage. The Mexican president said that it is a scandalous matter despite being a private event.

Lopez Obrador has used the UIF as a spearhead in his fight against corruption. He then called on his advised officials to act with "moderation and austerity."

The secretary of tourism for Mexico City, Paola Felix, was also entangled in the wedding scandal. Felix had also resigned from her post after media reports that she was detained at a Guatemalan report for reportedly trying to illegally carry a large amount of cash into the country. She had denied the allegations against her.

Meanwhile, progressive politician Pablo Gomez is eyed to take over Nieto's role as the UIF head. Gomez is known to advocate social causes and human rights since the start of the students' movement in 1968.

Santiago Nieto's Wedding

There were 300 attendees at the wedding, including governor of Campeche, Layda Sansores; the former governor of Sinaloa, Quirino Ordaz; minister Yasmín Esquivel, and her husband, according to a Paudal report. Businessman José María Riobóo, as well as the PAN member Josefina Vázquez Mota, were also there.

All of the guests had previously signed a confidentiality document not to post images of the event.

Hotel Casa Santo Domingo, where the wedding celebration was held, noted that they have different indoor and outdoor environments.

The property was constructed in the Santo Domingo Convent and offers 16 types of luxury rooms and suits with gardens, swimming pools, gyms, a business center, and art galleries.

Nieto said his resignation was due to the actions of others at his wedding. However, questions have been raised about his ability to pay for a lavish hotel just outside Guatemala City, according to a Mexico News Daily report.

Nieto had disassociated himself from the "acts of third parties" in his farewell on Twitter. He said that his loyalty goes to Lopez Obrador and his love for Humphrey, according to an El Pais report.

It was not the first time that Nieto was faced with controversy during his IUF chief stint. Attorney General Alejandro Gertz Manero had indirectly accused him last year of failing to respect the presumption of innocence.

Nieto worked closely with the federal Attorney General's Office on well-known corruption cases, such as the Odebrecht case, which had involved a lot of high-profile former officials.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Mary Webber

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