The Partido Acción Nacional (PAN) has a Website at the following URL: http://www.pan.org.mx (17 Apr. 2001). According to the Website's main page, the Web Master can be contacted by writing to the following e-mail address: ssanchez@cen.pan.org.mx (ibid.). The "CEN" in the e-mail address is the abbreviation for the PAN National Executive Committee (Comité Ejecutivo Nacional) (ibid.). The Network Information Center Website for Mexico (NIC-MÉXICO), which registers domain names under .mx on the Internet, states that the organization that created the PAN Website was Datasys de America SA de CV on 31 May 1995 (2001). The address of the organization is Republicas 206-302 Col. Portales 03300, Mexico DF, Mexico (ibid.). The administrative and Website contact for the site is listed as Ruben Sanchez, while the technical contact is listed as Carlos Chavez (ibid.).

In an interview published on the PAN Website, Luis Felipe Bravo Mena, president of the PAN, said the PRI paid a political price when it increased taxes because the party was known for corruption in spending practices (corrupción de dispendio) and for misuse of resources (mal uso de recursos) (5 April 2001). In a pre-election article written by Juan Ignacio Zavala, PAN General Director of Communications, also published on the PAN Website, there was reference to institutionalized corruption by the PRI governor of Veracruz, Miguel Alemán (30 June 2000). No additional information on this corruption was provided in the article (ibid.).

It is reported in a 27 June 2000 PAN press release that Germán Martínez Cázares and José César Nava Vásquez, two PAN deputies, wrote to the Attorney General Office (C. Procurador General de la República) to lodge a formal complaint against two PRI deputies, Enrique Jackson Ramírez and Miguel Quiroz Pérez, who had accused Vicente Fox's election campaign team of money laundering. During a congressional session on 21 June 2000, Jackson Ramírez accused Fox's finance advisor, Lino Korrodi Cruz, of organizing [translation] "an extravagant system of money transfers originating from abroad and from within the country" (ibid.). Jackson Ramírez further stated that the Fox campaign engaged in [translation] "a skilful, illegal and dishonest management of funds" (ibid.). According to the PAN deputies, Jackson Ramírez' conduct violated banking secrets (secreto bancario), which are protected by Article 117 of the Law of Credit Institutions (Ley de Instituciones de Crédito) and other correlative legal measures (ibid).

The Research Directorate was unable to find any other references to corruption or mismanagement by the PRI on the PAN Website from March 2000 to 17 April 2001.

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

Network Information Center (NIC-MÉXICO). 2001. "Base de datos WHOIS." http://www.nic.mx/nic/plsql/nic.nic_IniWho?X=0&Y=0 [Accessed 16 Apr. 2001]

Partido Acción Nacional (PAN). 17 April 2001. "Comité Ejecutivo Nacional." http://www.pan.org.mx/comites.asp [Accessed 17 Apr. 2001]

_____. 5 April 2001. "Entrevista a Luis Felipe Bravo en Los Pinos al término de la reunión de las dirigencias estatales del PAN con el Presidente Vicente Fox." http://www.pan.org.mx/documento.asp?d=127527 [Accessed 17 Apr. 2001]

_____. 30 June 2000. Juan Ignacio Zavala. "La decision del indeciso." http://www.pan.org.mx/documento.asp?d=105059 [Accessed 17 Apr. 2001]

_____. 27 June 2000. Germán Martínez Cázares and José César Nava Vázquez. "Denuncia penal contra el diputado priista Enrique Jackson Ramirez." http://www.pan.org.mx/documento.asp?d=104534 [Accessed 17 Apr. 2001]