A political scandal that has been brewing since the beginning of the year is shining a spotlight on high-ranking members of the ruling Morena party — most notably Mexico’s former interior minister and ex-governor of Tabasco, Adán Augusto López. Allegations of illegal activity have now led opposition leaders to file a criminal complaint against López, even as ruling party lawmakers block attempts to discuss the case in Congress.
The Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) on Wednesday formally requested that the Federal Attorney General’s Office (FGR) investigate López, currently a Morena party senator, for criminal association while also demanding that he resign from office.
The accusation stems from López’s relationship with Hernán Bermúdez, the former state security minister of Tabasco. Bermúdez, who is under investigation for ties to organized crime, fled Mexico in January.
As governor of Tabasco, López selected Bermúdez to be the state’s top cop, although the latter had been jailed for 11 days in 2006 while being investigated for murder. The pair is said to have a relationship dating back more than 30 years.
López has not spoken publicly about the scandal, limiting his comments to a July 18 post on X in which he said he was willing to submit to questioning if so required.
Bermúdez allegedly used his position as security minister to establish ties with the notorious Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) and oversee an extortion racket and fuel-theft ring in Tabasco.
López also faces allegations that, in his capacity as notary public, he helped Bermúdez and his brother set up shell companies utilized to carry out these illegal activities as well as earn millions in state-issued contracts.
Bermúdez remained in charge of the Tabasco Security Ministry after López left the governor’s mansion to become interior minister in 2021, finally stepping aside late last year. He reportedly fled the country in January, just two weeks before an arrest warrant was issued.
Word of the arrest warrant was confirmed in mid-July by Gen. Miguel Ángel López, who said Bermúdez was identified as the leader of the criminal gang known as “La Barredora.” Gen. López said that Interpol has issued a “red notice,” alerting police worldwide that Bermúdez is a fugitive.
Shortly after taking office in October 2024, Tabasco Gov. Javier May identified Bermúdez as the leader of La Barredora. May, a member of Morena, also criticized his predecessors, including López, saying they needed to answer questions about their knowledge of Bermúdez’s activities.
Leaked intelligence reports suggest that federal authorities knew of Bermúdez’s links to La Barredora as far back as 2020 and then-President Andrés Manuel López Obrador reportedly ordered an investigation into Bermúdez’s illicit activities in 2021.
PRI Senator Alejandro Moreno submitted the motion to force López to resign. It was the third time the opposition has sought to open debate on the scandal, but members of the ruling party Morena have repeatedly blocked the topic from being placed on the legislative docket.
Morena lawmakers closed ranks around López on Wednesday, insisting there is no legal foundation for López to resign. “There is no formal investigation of López and the accusations are nothing more than a media-driven smear campaign,” said Morena Senator Imelda Castro.
In its petition to have López removed from office, the PRI cited Senate regulations that define honorability, political responsibility and public ethics as conditions for exercising popular representation.
The PRI party also revealed that it had filed a second complaint with the FGR, requesting an investigation of eight prominent Morena party members, including former President López Obrador, Education Secretary Mario Delgado and five governors. The PRI alleges that the Morena politicians are involved in “a treasonous cover-up of organized crime activities.”
Later Wednesday, the National Action Party (PAN) also demanded a formal investigation into López’s ties to Bermúdez. “This is not an isolated case,” said PAN Senator Ricardo Anaya. “This suggests a pattern of complicity between Morena and organized crime.”
With reports from Animal Político, El País, Milenio, Excelsior and InSight Crime
