Colombia’s government warns that money from Mexican drug traffickers could influence October’s local elections, newspaper El Espectador reported Wednesday.
Minister of Justice and the Interior German Vargas Lleras said that the government is planning a strategy to prevent the entry of illegal funds in political campaigns.
“By next Thursday we will have defined the whole strategy … we are doing it seven months in advance to prevent any irregularities,” Vargas Lleras said.
Last week the Electoral Observation Mission warned about the risk of foreign funding in the upcoming elections.The agency urged the government to pay special attention to the financing of political campaigns in municipalities with large projects where there may be interest on the part of foreign companies to finance and support certain candidates.
The government announced that there will be continued inspections to stop illegal money from drug traffickers from Colombia and other countries entering the elections. Other concerns include the management of cash and non-monetary donations.