Overview
- The Presidency filed the General Law to Prevent, Investigate and Punish Extortion on October 17, setting a unified national definition and making cases prosecutable without a victim’s complaint.
- Proposed penalties include six to fifteen years in prison and fines of roughly 11,314 to 56,570 pesos.
- Harsher terms would apply for cobro de piso, for victims who are migrants, minors or older adults, for offenses committed by public servants, and for crimes carried out from inside prisons.
- The initiative amends the Federal Penal Code, the Law against Organized Crime, the National Code of Criminal Procedure and the National Law of Asset Forfeiture to enable confiscation of assets linked to extortion.
- The draft elevates the national anti-extortion strategy that uses the anonymous 089 tip line and now awaits committee analysis, with Morena senators urging expedited consideration.