President Claudia Sheinbaum clarified on Monday, March 16, 2026, the origin of the bank account former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador shared on his X account for donations to the Cuban people, affected by a US fuel blockade. The account belongs to the civil association Humanidad con América Latina, a citizen initiative that requested authorization from the Secretariat of Finance. Sheinbaum emphasized that all bank accounts are fiscalized.
In her morning conference on March 16, 2026, President Claudia Sheinbaum addressed questions about the Banorte bank account shared by former President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) to aid Cuba. This marks AMLO's fourth public appearance since retiring in September 2024 after leaving Mexico's Presidency. The civil association Humanidad con América Latina opened the account and requested authorization from the Secretariat of Finance to be a donataria for deposits intended for Cuba, which faces a crisis from the US oil blockade, including rising blackouts. The group published a statement on March 10 in the newspaper La Jornada, signed by figures like Laura Esquivel, Carlos Pellicer, and Elena Poniatowska. AMLO shared the account on X, calling it an organization by citizens, writers, and journalists. Sheinbaum displayed the statement and explained: “Llaman a depositar en una cuenta de un banco Banorte, que ellos abrieron, y que solicitaron a la Secretaría de Hacienda que esta asociación civil pudiera ser donataria, que se deposite ahí para enviar apoyo a Cuba. Esa fue iniciativa de ciudadanos que hicieron esta solicitud y abrieron esta cuenta”. Facing opposition criticism on the account's origin, she stressed: “Todo siempre es fiscalizado, porque ya decían quién sabe cuánta cosa (la oposición)”. Asked if she would donate personally, she replied: “Como persona pues ya veré si hacemos una aportación, ya lo informaré, lo voy a hacer de manera personal. Voy a ver (de cuánto), mañana les informo”. Sheinbaum framed the call as solidarity with Cuba amid its isolation from the blockade.
