A month later, a company is being targeted – El Financiero

After four weeks of what will be remembered as the ‘grey house’, what do we know?

The president’s son (JR) and his wife (CA) live in Houston.

CA has more-less a decade in the business world, including oil activity. For his part, JR revealed that he was incorporated –already beginning the six-year term– by the children of Daniel Chávez, owner of Vidanta, to a project (whateverthatmeans) in the United States, and they processed a visa.

CA and JR lived for a year (summer to summer 2019-2020) in a house owned by someone who was then a senior executive at Baker Hughes (BH). This company has been a Pemex contractor for decades. The landlord stopped working at that company at the end of 2019.

It is not proven that the landlord was in charge of, or participated in, BH’s negotiations with Petróleos Mexicanos (Pemex).

The volumes of BH contracts increased in this administration. Pemex says that because the projects in general of Petróleos Mexicanos grew.

The BH executive rented the house through a broker who turned out to be his relative. The contract is not in the internal system of the Houston real estate brokers. BH ‘self-investigated’: an external office reviewed the case and reported this week that it found no conflict of interest. BH says the lease did not have JR’s name as the tenant. The FGR opened an investigation folder. In the United States there are also investigations.

The initial report spoke of the contradiction between the President’s austerity speech and his son’s way of life. Since 2018, the President said that he would only answer for his minor son.

We do not know?

Is there a relationship between the rent of the house and any type of favor from the Mexican government to the company where the owner of the property worked? Or even the owner of it?

We do not know if, in fact, before renting the house, its owner knew that one of its tenants would be AMLO’s son. Or if already as his landlord, about to change jobs, he knew that the son of the president of Mexico lived on his property.

We do not know, therefore, if he notified his then company, BH, of the potential conflict of interest. BH said Monday that they learned about the contract after the scandal.

What do we have a right to know?

All the documentation related to what happened with the Baker Hughes contracts during this government.

And all the documentation of the concessions given or extended to Vidanta and all its companies by the current government.

All the information about Daniel Chávez’s trips to accompany the President, or other officials, to supervise the Mayan Train. And the same about any other tour he has done with or for AMLO.

Documents and details of donations must be made transparent that, in kind (transfer of a 2,000-hectare piece of land from Vidanta to the CFE in Puerto Peñasco, Sonora) or in cash (raffle/not raffle for the plane), has been given to the government.

What do we not have the right to know today?

CA income with any private business entity. JR’s income in the companies of the Vidanta emporium.

Questions to follow…

Was there good journalistic practice? Can two prisoners be accused of living against what their father and father-in-law dictate? Is this the President of the Republic? Will the president recognize that he crossed a limit by revealing the alleged income of a journalist? Is this case going to cost more for AMLO or for journalism?

Main conclusion so far: the Vidanta emporium, in the sights of this six-year term.

–