Mexican president says will not stop investigation into predecessor

Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador will not slow any possible criminal investigation into former President Enrique Pena Nieto given the "independence and autonomy" of the attorney general's office, he told reporters on Friday.

Local media this week published excerpts of a request by the attorney general for an arrest warrant for a senior aide to Pena Nieto. The document included accusations that the former president ordered top officials in his government to pay bribes to lawmakers.

Lopez Obrador has long insisted that the country's attorney general, who is a political appointee, is independent and controls all aspects of criminal investigations and prosecutions.