The Senate generally unanimously approved this Wednesday the opinion of the General Law to Prevent, Investigate and Punish Crimes Related to Extortion, which establishes up to 42 years in prison for those who commit this crime.
During the afternoon session with 110 votes in favor of the reform that will be returned to the Chamber of Deputies where it is established that The crime of extortion will be prosecuted ex officio, and is defined as the action of forcing another person to give, do, stop doing or tolerate something, obtaining a benefit or causing financial, moral, physical or psychological harm.
The base penalty includes 15 to 25 years in prison and a fine equivalent to 300 to 500 times the daily value of the Measurement and Update Unit (UMA).
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Carolina Viggiano, from the PRI, highlighted that extortion has increased in Mexico due to various factors, including the complicity of previous governments with organized crime.
She recalled the previous government’s strategy of “hugs, not bullets,” which, according to the senator, allowed criminals to operate with impunity and with the omission of security forces. which was reflected in historical figures of homicides and forced disappearances.
“Unfortunately, the change in strategy that was made, which we recognize is much better than the one this government has taken, made criminals abandon the cultivation and transfer of heroin to focus on extortion, kidnapping and robbery as sources of financing, from large businessmen to the smallest merchants in the towns, because this type of phenomenon was not foreseen,” he said.
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PAN member Guadalupe Murguía recognized that although the law is an important step, its effectiveness will depend on its application and the fight against impunity. which currently reaches 97 percent of cases.
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