<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: 18pt; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="color: #222222; font-family: times new roman, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> Mexico's electoral authorities have imposed a USD 10-million fine on President-elect Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador's party for fraudulently using money from a trust fund for earthquake victims in its campaign.</span></p>''<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:times new roman,serif;mso-fareast-font-family:times new roman;color:#222222;mso-fareast-language:en-in"> <o:p /></span></p>''<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:times new roman,serif;mso-fareast-font-family:times new roman;color:#222222;mso-fareast-language:en-in">Lopez Obrador, who won a landslide victory in Mexico's July 1 elections, personally announced the fund several days after the earthquake, encouraging all Mexicans to contribute towards the fund to help the victims of sept.19 earthquake which killed more over 300 people in Mexico.<o:p /></span></p>''<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:times new roman,serif;mso-fareast-font-family:times new roman;color:#222222;mso-fareast-language:en-in"> <o:p /></span></p>''<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:times new roman,serif;mso-fareast-font-family:times new roman;color:#222222;mso-fareast-language:en-in">The National Electoral Institute ruled the Obrador's party has violated the law by illegally withdrawing the money from the fund.The electoral institute said It is unclear how much of the money actually went to earthquake victims. And even if it did, political parties are not allowed to give money to the public.<o:p /></span></p>''<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:times new roman,serif;mso-fareast-font-family:times new roman;color:#222222;mso-fareast-language:en-in">        <o:p /></span></p>''<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:times new roman,serif;mso-fareast-font-family:times new roman;color:#222222;mso-fareast-language:en-in">Lopez Obrador, who ran on an anti-corruption platform, has said that  the fund was "completely transparent" and has vowed to appeal against the ruling.<o:p /></span></p>''<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; line-height: normal; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;font-family:times new roman,serif;mso-fareast-font-family:times new roman;color:#222222;mso-fareast-language:en-in"> <o:p /></span></p>''<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:times new roman,serif"> </span></p>