Mexico Supreme Court overturns state anti-corruption laws News
Mexico Supreme Court overturns state anti-corruption laws

The Mexican Supreme Court [official website, in Spanish] on Monday overturned two state anti-corruption laws that would have allowed departing governors to choose prosecutors in charge of investigating corruption allegations against them. Many believed [El Universal report, in Spanish] the laws were passed in an effort to curtail corruption reforms and protect the politicians themselves. The laws, passed in Chihuahua and Veracruz, were ruled unconstitutional in part because corruption is under the jurisdiction of the National Anticorruption System (SNA) [official website, in Spanish]. The Attorney General [official website, in Spanish] filed suit to stop the implementation of the laws and was satisfied [press release, Spanish] with the unanimous decision by the Supreme Court.

The anti-corruption bills in Mexico follow recent news of courts combating corruption worldwide. Malaysian government minister Abdul Rahman Dahlan confirmed [JURIST report] on Friday that Prime Minister Najib Razak is the unnamed official involved in the nation’s recent national wealth fund scandal. The primary challenger to incumbent Zambian President Edgar Lungu, Hakainde Hichilema, on Saturday accused [JURIST report] the country’s electoral commission of colluding with the Patriotic Front (PF), the ruling party, to manipulate the results of the election. The Mexican Congress in June passed [JURIST report] several anti-corruption bills that would increase the severity of penalties for corruption charges.