⁍ An international lawyers’ group has said Mexico is violating international law with threats to criminally prosecute attorneys as part of a campaign to make companies settle tax disputes.

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⁍ In a strongly worded letter handed to officials on Friday, several committees of the London-based International Bar Association said Mexico’s tax authority and fiscal prosecutor’s office ‘openly threatened the rule of law’
Neither entity immediately responded to a request for comment on the letter.

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– Mexico is threatening to criminally prosecute lawyers and accountants who help taxpayers settle tax disputes, according to an international lawyers’ group. In a strongly worded letter handed to officials on Friday, several committees of the London-based International Bar Association said Mexico’s tax authority and fiscal prosecutor’s office “openly threatened the rule of law” and was targeting the law firms and accountants who assist taxpayers, Reuters reports. Neither entity immediately responded to a request for comment on the letter, which was signed by Peter Bartlett, the vice chair of IBA’s Legal Practice Division. Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador has prioritized improving tax enforcement in the country with the lowest tax intake in the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. The SAT chief and tax prosecutor have both sent clear messages that tax dodgers, including major companies and their tax counsel, could face jail time if suspected of fraud. When asked if the approach could deter investment, they have said that companies would have nothing to fear if they followed the law. Walmart Inc’s Mexico unit and Coca-Cola bottler Femsa have recently paid hundreds of millions of dollars after resolving tax disputes.