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Mexican economist and political analyst Mario Di Costanzo harshly criticized President Claudia Sheinbaum for allocating 588 million Mexican pesos to the Cuban regime through the "Sembrando Vida" program, while a public hospital in Michoacán suspended surgeries due to a lack of medical supplies.
Di Costanzo posted on Sunday on his account on X the question "What does Sheinbaum owe to the Cuban regime?" and attached two official documents that support the allegation: the ECI/0472/2026 letter from the Mexican Agency for International Cooperation for Development (AMEXCID), dated March 31, 2026, and a letter from the General Hospital "Dr. Miguel Silva" in Michoacán, dated May 7, 2026.
"While surgeries are being suspended in Michoacán due to a lack of medical supplies, Sheinbaum donates 588 million to Cuba under the Sembrando Vida Program. And she pays a company that sells BYD cars," wrote Di Costanzo.
The AMEXCID office has formalized a "Donation Contract for Resources" between the National Bank of Foreign Trade (Bancomext), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, AMEXCID, and the Bank of Wellness, for 588 million pesos—over 34 million dollars—for the "Second Phase of Sembrando Vida in the Republic of Cuba (Second Stage)."
The authorization was approved on February 25, 2026, during the First Extraordinary Session of the Technical Committee of the Trust, and the document was signed by José Martín Rivera Barrios, Administrative Director of AMEXCID, and Mario Alejandro Mendoza Castañeda, General Director of Special Projects and International Cooperation Funds.
The same official document orders additional payments of 1,479,600 pesos to the company Dragon Charge, S.A. de C.V., identified as BYD Iztacalco agency in Mexico City and linked to the Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer BYD, to be deposited in a Banorte account.
The connection between Dragon Charge and Chinese capital has raised concerns about a potential evasion of the economic sanctions that the United States maintains against Cuba, at a time when Trump signed a new executive order against the dictatorship on May 1, 2026, expanding restrictions in the energy, defense, mining, and finance sectors.
The document was leaked by the Guacamaya Leaks account on X, which described it as "the gift of 588 million pesos to Cuba for the diversion of resources called Sembrando Vida," and was confirmed by an official document that reveals Mexico's financing to the island.
The second document attached by Di Costanzo is the memo 5009/2026/0099 from the General Hospital "Dr. Miguel Silva," signed by Dr. Iván Calvo Villalobos, Head of the Surgery Department, which informs the medical staff that "due to the lack of necessary medical supplies for patient care, elective surgical procedures cannot be performed at this time."
The controversy is set against a foreign policy by Sheinbaum that, despite suspending the shipment of crude oil to Cuba in January 2026 due to pressure from Washington, has maintained and expanded support for the regime with at least five shipments of humanitarian aid comprising over 3,100 tons of food, medicine, and solar panels since February 2026.
The Sembrando Vida program was created by Andrés Manuel López Obrador in 2018 and extended to Central America that same year. Its expansion to Cuba was planned since 2021 and materialized with donations of agricultural tractors in December 2023, while Díaz-Canel met with Sheinbaum following the inauguration of the Mexican president to strengthen bilateral ties.
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