Ex-Mexican Prosecutor Says He Was Fired to Stymie Corruption Probe
Santiago Nieto, dismissed in October, says he was investigating bribes Odebrecht officials said they paid in 2012 to then-top campaign aide of president
The Wall Strett Journal , March 14, 2018
By Juan Montes
MEXICO CITY—The bribery scandal around Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht has led to criminal charges against former presidents in Brazil and Peru. But in Mexico it has brought about a different outcome: the firing of the prosecutor looking into whether any Odebrecht money financed President Enrique Peña Nieto’s 2012 campaign.
Now the prosecutor who was fired is speaking out, saying he was dismissed to stop several investigations he had launched not only into alleged Odebrecht bribes but also into alleged instances of illegal state-election financing by the ruling party.
“I was an annoying prosecutor for the government and they wanted me out,” said Santiago Nieto, in his first extensive interview since his firing in October. He and the president aren’t related.