Consumer Protection Agency Denounces Pressure from Morena Legislators on Business Sanctions

This article originally appeared in the July 15, 2025 edition of Sin Embargo.

Mexico City. The head of the Federal Consumer Protection Agency (Profeco), Iván Escalante, denounced on Monday that female deputies and “companions of the movement” of the so-called Fourth Transformation (4T) have attempted to stop sanctions against businesses accused of legal non-compliance .

During a session with the Labor and Social Security Committee in the Chamber of Deputies , Escalante asked them not to intervene in processes they are unaware of.

“What some suppliers were doing was using the deputies as a liaison with us. So I would ask them not to do us the favor of intervening if they don’t have the information on both sides,” the Federal Attorney stated.

However, he noted that he has the support of President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo to impose closures when irregularities are detected, even if there is pressure from Morena legislators to avoid such sanctions.

“The President has never told me: ‘Don’t go, don’t do anything, no.’ So we can help a lot by not intervening when we don’t know the case well. When it’s an injustice, I immediately intervene. That’s why I ask the institution for background information,” he explained.

Escalante indicated that one of the most common violations is the underselling of gasoline. In an operation across 18 states, 107 gas stations were inspected and 250 gas lines were seized due to irregularities.

The head of the Attorney General’s Office recounted the case of a congresswoman who asked him for help with a gas station being checked, claiming the operation had been a surprise; but upon reviewing the report, Iván Escalante confirmed that the procedure had been followed. “A congresswoman recently came to me, asking me to ‘help a gas station,’ I don’t know what… Sorry, no,” he emphasized.

Another incident involved a hotel with prices in dollars, hidden charges, and unsanitary conditions. “Four comrades from the movement, each one more senior than the previous one spoke to me… I called the President, and she said, ‘Iván, go ahead, it’s your job,’” he said.

Attorney General Escalante also lamented that, after publishing studies like the one on hams in [Profeco’s] Consumer Magazine, chambers of commerce are reacting to try to stem the consequences: “It’s like turning my fault around by looking for a friend.”

He also called on legislators not to drastically reduce the response time for telephone complaints, as the current process, which can take up to 117 days, seeks to resolve complaints fairly. He proposed toughening penalties for removing [business closure] seals and defying them, calling the current ones “laughable.”