The former head of the powerful Mexican public oil company PEMEX, Emilio Losogia, was remanded in custody on Wednesday, as he is suspected of being involved in the Odebrecht scandal, of the giant Brazilian construction company that distributes several shares
Mr Losoya was arrested in Spain in 2020 and extradited to Mexico in July of that year. It was decided that he would be released, but this was overturned by a judge at the request of the prosecutor who feared a new departure of Mr. Losogia, explained sources close to the judicial system.
Emilio Losogia, 46, was the head of Pemex from 2012 to 2016, during the days of former President Enrique Pena Nieto, of whom he was a personal friend and close associate.
According to the prosecution, Mr. Losoya has admitted that $ 4.4 million distributed by Odebrecht in Mexico was channeled to finance the election campaign of Mr. Penia Nieto in 2012.
The former head of Petroleos Mexicanos had assured that he followed the instructions of Mr. Penia Nieto, something that was leaked to the press from a judicial source in August 2020.
During a hearing yesterday, Wednesday, Mr. Losogia pleaded not guilty.
The prosecution, for its part, ruled that he “did not comply” with his obligations as a key witness in the Odebrecht case and asked to be remanded in custody because of the “risk of absconding”.
Prosecutors have charged Mr. Losogia with conspiracy to commit gangsterism and corruption, and he faces up to thirty years in prison.
In early October, Mr. Losoya was spotted at a luxury Chinese restaurant in Lomas, a chic suburb of the Mexican capital. His photos as he dined provoked angry reactions on social networking sites and scathing comments in the press.
Pemex is one of the largest companies in the Mexican economy, the 15th largest in the world. He was born after the nationalization of American and British companies by President Lasaro Cardenas in 1938.
The Odebrecht scandal swept the political order in several Latin American countries, where investigations were carried out in cooperation with the Brazilian judiciary (Peru, Dominican Republic, Venezuela …).
Mr. Losoya’s case is at the heart of the campaign promised by incumbent President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador to root out corruption.
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