Mexican tax authorities are reviewing the country’s connections in the “Panama Papers” leak. Those names could include a big-money businessman who’s been dubbed the Mexican president’s “favorite contractor” in the media, and was involved in an alleged influence-pedaling scandal two years ago.
This composite image shows contractor Juan Armando Hinojosa Cantu and President Enrique Peña Nieto. (PHOTO ILLUSTRATION: plumaslibres.com.mx)
Now there’s a new dimension to Hinojosa’s troubles: The Panama Papers suggest he used Mossack Fonseca to transfer some $100 million out of bank accounts owned by six offshore companies under the names of his mother and mother-in-law.
The complicated web involved other entities in the U.K., New Zealand and the Netherlands.
A screenshot of the document that states Cantu Hinojosa donated 5 offshore companies to his mother. A second document states his wife donated 1 company to her mother.
The documents reviewed by Fusion, Univision and other media outlets working together in the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) suggest the $100 million transfer was going to three New Zealand trusts.
Fusion could not confirm whether the transfer went through.
One leaked document shows that an adviser from the law firm acting on behalf of Hinojosa asked Mossack Fonseca to dissolve the companies upon completing the money transfer.
A screenshot of the proposal that was sent to Olga Santini who described herself as an “independent service provider” for Mossack and other firms in an email sent to Fusion. She denied being an MF employee or the Miami representative for the company.
A November 2015 email sent by a Mossack Fonseca lawyer in Panama informed the compliance department that a background search had uncovered “possible links” between Hinojosa and the president of Mexico.
The lawyer said Hinojosa’s representatives dismissed negative media reports by claiming he’d been targeted by newspapers owned by business rivals, mentioning The New York Times‘ Mexican billionaire shareholder Carlos Slim.
The spokesman for the presidency declined comment, saying the country’s tax authority has already issued a statement on the leaks.
Hinojosa did not respond to an ICIJ request for comment. Fusion sent a request for comment to the email used by D’Orléans, Bourbon & Associates, the law firm that represented him in the Mossack deal, but it was bounced back by the server. No further contact information was found for the firm.
Source: fusion.net
