In the wake of Mexico’s attorney general opening a corruption investigation against former President Enrique Peña Nieto, local lawyers say Mexico’s anti-corruption system is robust enough to handle such a high-profile case, and suggest the country may now be ready for large international corruption investigations.

The coronavirus has heavily impacted mergers and acquisitions. The lack of liquidity and the uncertainty have produced a significant decline in the volume and number of transactions. This has resulted in the cancellation or suspension of transactions, above all in the second quarter, and in the invoking of clauses in order not to close deals. Luis Burgueño, partner of the Mexican firm Von Wobeser y Sierra, S.C., considers that in this context, investing in Mexico requires discipline in the selection and due diligence of the possible targets, in the valuation of the company, and in the negotiation of the terms and conditions of the contracts. In particular, tolerance of risk and a long-term vision are needed.

Today the Decree that adds a fifth paragraph to article 1 of the Public Sector Acquisitions, Leases and Services Act (“Acquisitions Act”) entered into force.

On August 3, 2020, “the Ruling by which the National Hydrocarbons Commission (“CNH”) establishes various measures to promote the development of oil activities” (the “Ruling”), which had been published by the National Commission for Regulatory Improvement to receive comments on July 17, 2020, was published in the Official Federal Gazette.

The Tax Administration Service (SAT) published on its webpage today a minisite related to the “Payment of Fees of Certified Companies”, through which it intends to charge, retroactively and into the future, the companies Certified under VAT and IEPS category with certain fees. In effect, SAT considers that these companies have been obligated to pay annual fees from the moment they obtained their certification and for its entire duration. The “defaulting” companies may pay the fees with the applicable adjustments for inflation and surcharges.

Please be informed that on August 3, the Ministry of Health published in the Official Federal Gazette, the Ruling establishing new activities or industries considered essential, in order to guarantee the correct initiation of the school year 2020-2021.

As part of the New Normality measures, it was determined that in Mexico City employers had to test their employees for the COVID-19 illness. However, on July 28, 2020, changes were published in the Official Gazette of Mexico City to the “Guidelines for the Execution of the Gradual Plan toward the New Normality in Mexico City”, which document provides new guidelines in relation to the application of those tests.

On July 27, 2020, the Ministries of Health and of Labor and Social Welfare, together with the Mexican Social Security Institute, published in the Official Federal Gazette, the Ruling announcing the method for disseminating the standards for vulnerable population (hereinafter, the Standards).

On July 27, 2020, the Regulation of Sanitary Control for the Medical Production, Research and Use of Cannabis and its Pharmacological Derivatives was published on the webpage of the National Regulatory Improvement Commission (CONAMER). Its primary purpose would be to establish the sanitary regulation, control, promotion and oversight of the raw material, molecular compounds, pharmacological derivatives and medicines of cannabis for production, scientific, industrial and medical purposes.