Arrests will not help Mexico's anti-corruption efforts

Subject

Corruption scandals.

Significance

On April 15, Interpol captured the fugitive former governor of Veracruz, Javier Duarte (2010-16), in Guatemala. He had fled Mexico in October, accused of having embezzled over 45 billion pesos (2.4 billion dollars). His arrest followed that of former Tamaulipas Governor Tomas Yarrington (1999-2005) in Italy on April 9. He had been at large for five years, wanted in both the United States and Mexico for corruption and organised crime. Both were members of Mexico's ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI).

Impacts

• Recent arrests will do little to advance the wider fight against corruption because underlying drivers remain intact.
• There is no evidence to suggest that others suspected of corruption will be brought to justice in the short-to-medium term.
• Key elements of the new SNA will be delayed by partisan struggles in Congress.