MEXICO CITY (AP) — A group of influential Mexican intellectuals and writers have penned an open letter to President Enrique Pena Nieto, asking him to either bring charges or drop what is widely seen as a politicized investigation of an opposition presidential candidate.

In a letter posted Sunday, the group said prosecutors' attempts to pursue a money-laundering investigation against candidate Ricardo Anaya "have further eroded the authority of the institutions that make up Mexican government."

The letter was signed by former government officials like Jorge Castaneda and Arturo Sarukhan, and intellectuals including Jose Woldenberg and Enrique Krauze.