Mexican league offers to cooperate in money laundering probe

Mexico City, Aug 21 (IANS) The president of Mexico's MX premier football league has offered to cooperate with the authorities should they open an investigation into recent allegations that drug traffickers used the clubs to launder money, local media sources said.

MX chief Decio de Maria told reporters at a press conference Monday: "The league is always open to cooperating with all the authorities in any kind of investigation."

Colombian broadcaster RCN recently reported that the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration had warned Colombian authorities that the nation's drug cartels had used Mexican teams for money laundering purposes, Xinhua reports.

RCN said Colombian drug lords, former paramilitary leaders extradited to the U.S. and even a leader of the country's leftist insurgents were known to have "invested" in Mexican teams from 2003 to 2006, according to records seized by Colombia's General Attorney's Office.

De Maria said the Mexican league follows a set of requirements that "shields" the teams against illegal money.

De Maria said that the Mexican Football Federation has intensified the protocols to accept new shareholders in the local teams.

"The 18 teams completely follow and fulfil the protocols," said de Maria.

He explained that the Mexican clubs should comply "an affiliation notebook and a set of protocols that we follow, we are alert of any irregular situations".