Uncovering Mexico
Jeremy Schwartz is the Mexico correspondent for Cox Newspapers. He is based in Mexico City.What's on this page?
The entry titled "Fox shows off his crib, and raises questions about wealth."
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Home > Uncovering Mexico > Archives > 2007 > September > 20 > Entry
Fox shows off his crib, and raises questions about wealth
Following a magazine spread that has all of Mexico talking, former president Vicente Fox and wife Marta Sahagun have got themselves embroiled in festering scandal over their wealth.
Opposition lawmakers claim the couple inappropriately enriched themselves during Fox’s six-year term and are demanding an investigation. Meanwhile, Fox is getting heat for reportedly carting off mountains of official documents for his planned presidential library when he left office.
The trouble started earlier this month when the couple posed for Quien, a glossy celebrity magazine. The couple opened up their sumptuous Guanajuato ranch home, complete with outdoor pool, artificial lake and industrial kitchen.
Soon after, Fox’s former campaign aide, Lino Korrodi, emerged, publicly accusing Fox of having accumulated a “shameless and cynical wealth.”
A day later the sharks began circling, with PRI Senator Manlio Fabio Beltrones telling reporters: “The ex-president owes the people of Mexico an explanation about these properties, renovated with great quantites of money.”
Fox fired back with a press release denying any wrongdoing and insisting he has always made his finances public and transparent. During the infamous Quien interview, Fox said “Those who say that this property is the product of stolen money or from money left to me through the presidency will have to eat their words, because it’s not true.”
Comments
By Ames Tiedeman
September 23, 2007 11:26 AM | Link to this
He may be a thief like so many leaders from that dysfunctional place.