Lozoya case could be Mexico's Car Wash

摘要

THE recent extradition of former Pemex chief executive Emilio Lozoya from Spain to face corruption charges in Mexico is expected to result in a plea-bargaining deal and a mushrooming of charges against former officials. It could also provide leverage for a shift in oil sector policies, analysts note. Lozoya, who headed Pemex from 2012 to 2016, was politically close to Mexico's former president Enrique Pena Nieto, whose PRI administration won congressional approval for the country's 2013 energy reform. The 45-year-old has been accused of receiving millions of dollars in contractual kickbacks from Brazilian construction company Odebrecht and a Mexican petrochemicals group. He denies any wrongdoing.