Legislation
Mexico – Investigative Committee probes deeper
By Lewis - 7 October 2013
A committee charged with investigating those casinos operating illegally in Mexico and helping to develop a new gaming act has requested that the Attorney General’s Office release its preliminary findings related to the Mexico’s gaming industry. In July the committee asked the District Attorney General’s Office for a report on gaming with the Head of the committee, Ricardo Mejia Berdeja announcing that a detailed report from the General Attorney’s office into gaming licensing was crucial in order for the committee to complete its work. The committee asked the Attorney General’s office to look into the public complaints against former officials, related persons, or events related to the establishment of illegal casinos in the country.
Earlier last week Mr. Berdeja also called on the Interior Ministry (SEGOB), which has not completed its report on the issue, to detail the information it has so far collected regarding missing information when it comes to the individual licensing of gaming establishments. The president of the special investigative committee has also requested that those municipalities where gaming is permitted provide information related to compliance with municipal permits as well as licenses and other documents. At the same time it was announced also that members of the committee would visit Guadalajara and Veracruz to review 15 casinos, which have so far been found to be operating illegally by the Interior Ministry.
Last week saw another important development with the committee announcing that it will invite former city officials to come before it and discuss issues related to the Casino Royale tragedy in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon. In August 2011 gang members set fire to the Casino Royale in the northeastern state. The casino, located in an affluent part of Mexico’s third-largest city Monterrey, was busy with mainly middle-class customers—most of them women. According to witnesses, the gunmen burst into the casino, doused it with gasoline and ordered everyone out. 52 people died in the ensuing tragedy.
This is the latest in a number of steps to more closely investigate how licenses have been handed out in the past after reports began to emerge last year that members of the regulatory body SEGOB were taking bribes in return for the granting of licenses and stays of closure amongst growing evidence of wide spread corruption.
