Overview

• The Fiscalía General de la República launched a criminal probe on July 6 into claims that former president Enrique Peña Nieto accepted bribes tied to the purchase of NSO Group’s Pegasus spyware.
• Attorney General Alejandro Gertz Manero said he will formally request documents from the Israeli government to verify reports that businessmen Uri Ansbacher and Avishai Neriah paid $25 million in kickbacks.
• Mexicanos Contra la Corrupción y la Impunidad reported that Air Cap, a company linked to Ansbacher and flagged as a phantom firm by Mexico’s tax authority, secured a $4.2 million contract in July 2018.
• Members of the Senate and Chamber of Deputies debated in the Permanent Commission whether to summon Peña Nieto and strengthen legislative oversight of state surveillance practices.
• Peña Nieto has denied the allegations as wholly unfounded while rights groups and opposition lawmakers call for greater transparency and accountability over government spying tools.