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Fifteen years after an explosive video shook the Mexican left , some of the characters involved in the so-called video scandal have crossed their paths once again. But this time, they are part of a crusade against corruption .
In March 2004 , a series of videos were a huge political blow against the administration of then-mayor Andrés Manuel López Obrado r. Now, 15 years later, three of those involved in the release of those videos were arrested and two of them remain in jail : Carlos Ahumada, Rosario Robles, and Juan Collado .
Lawyer Juan Collado
was arrested on July 9, after being accused of organized crime and of transactions involving illegally-sourced funds . He is currently in jail .
Rosario Robles
is currently held in pretrial detention after being accused of improper exercise of public service and her possible involvement in a massive fraud known as the Estafa Maestra , a fraud that cost Mexican taxpayers at least MXN $5 billion.
Last Friday, businessman Carlos Ahumada was arrested in Argentina after Mexican authorities accused him of an MXN $1,472,000 tax fraud but it was announced he was released on Monday.
Nevertheless, Ahumada , Robles , and Collado are not the only ones behind the 2004 scandal that aimed to prevent López Obrador from becoming President , since polls showed he was the best-positioned candidate to become President in 2006 .
Back then, López Obrador claimed that other powerful politicians had also been involved in the plot : former President Carlos Salinas de Gortari and PAN member Diego Fernández de Cevallos.
In December 2000 , López Obrador became Mexico City's mayor . His predecessor was Rosario Robles , also a member of the PRD , who took office as acting mayor in 1999 to substitute Cuauhtémoc Cárdenas.
In March 2004, René Bejarano, also a PRD member and one of López Obrador's closest aides , was recorded receiving wads of bills from businessman Carlos Ahumada , who was in a relationship with Rosario Robles .
According to Ahumada , Carlos Collado was key in the distribution of the tapes , which were allegedly bought for MXN $68 million by former President Carlos Salinas de Gortari and PAN member Diego Fernández de Cevallos.
The distribution of those videos had a negative impact on López Obrador's image and electoral campaign .
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