Electricity Reform: Due to conflict with Paolo Salerno, House leader asked Edna Díaz (PRD) not to vote

During the discussion on the Electricity Reform, the president of the Chamber of Deputies, Sergio Carlos Gutiérrez Luna urged MPs Margarita Zavala and Edna Díaz to refrain from casting their votes due to alleged conflicts of interest, for which the plenary decided not to initiate an investigation.

Around noon on Sunday, April 17, the session of the lower house in which the fate of the Electric Reform is being debated was temporarily suspended when accusations were brought against the two deputies, so the president of the instance decided to take a break to discuss the measures that would be taken against women legislators.

After a break of about two hours, Carlos Gutiérrez returned to the rostrum to ask both legislators not to participate in the vote, points that they rejected from their seats and accompanied by their respective parliamentary groups.

For his part, Edna Díaz merely rejected the request made by the Speaker of the House, in addition to denying the accusations of conflict of interest against him, as well as ensuring that he will cast his vote in the vote, an action that was repeated by Deputy Margarita Zavala.

Edna Díaz was charged on 12 April for the alleged lobbying in which she was involved with Paolo Salerno, an Italian energy lawyer, who was told to work for a European company operating in the energy sector.

Later, the lawyer submitted a document on his Twitter account in which he denied the allegations against him, denying that he had ties with any company engaged in the energy sector, since he is a partner of his own law firm: Salerno y Asociados.

Through social networks, a photograph of Edna Díaz accompanied by Paolo Salerno in the Chamber of Deputies went viral, which generated widespread discussion and allegations of alleged illegality, as lawmakers and supporters of Morena assured that the presence of the alleged council in Congress fell into illegality.

After the viralization of photography, he was linked to the Italian company Ente nazionale per l'energia elettrica (Enel), which specializes in producing and distributing electricity and hydrocarbons as gas, which was rejected by the lawyer, and later by the same company.

“With regard to recent events and statements that have resumed in the media and social networks, Enel Green Power Mexico reports that it has no relationship with Dr. Paolo Salerno, nor as an employee, partner or provider of lobbying services,” said the company, which also withdrew from the firm in the which the Italian has participation.

For his part, Edna Díaz said in an interview with El Heraldo that “he was giving technical advice on some points of the two reforms”, stating that he “likes to analyze everything”; while the PRD, the party to which he belongs, said that the Italian is part of a group of advisers who inform its legislators about the Electricity Reform.

With regard to his presence in the lower house, Paolo Salerno accepted that the president of the Board of Directors pointed out that technical advisers could not be in the seats assigned by the deputies, so he complied with the measure and moved to the end of the room, where other advisers of his kind were located.

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