Morena lawmakers laugh over fiscal huachicol question

Reporting and context

Claudia Rivera Vivanco, a federal lawmaker from Puebla, drew laughter from members of Morena during a Chamber of Deputies debate after an apparent affirmative response to her question about whether they supported fighting “fiscal huachicol,” a term for fuel-tax fraud.

Rivera Vivanco was speaking during discussion of reforms to the Customs Law. She first asked whether lawmakers supported fighting corruption and tax evasion, receiving affirmative responses. When she asked the same about fiscal huachicol, another “yes” could be heard among the legislators near her, prompting laughter from some lawmakers. According to Reforma, Olga Leticia Chávez answered “yes,” while Rocío López and Alma Higuera reacted with laughter; Higuera later corrected herself with a “no.”

The proposal under debate would strengthen controls over imported goods and establish sanctions for certain violations involving hydrocarbons and petroleum products. El Financiero reported that the incident took place while the chamber considered those measures.

Opposition lawmaker Erubiel Lorenzo Alonso of Movimiento Ciudadano called Rivera Vivanco’s earlier intervention a “confession of facts” and questioned Morena’s response to corruption and money-laundering issues. Rivera Vivanco later argued that the phenomenon began under previous governments and challenged the opposition to demonstrate its position through its votes on the Customs Law reform.