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's legacy taking a beating."
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Home > Uncovering Mexico > Archives > 2007 > October > 04 > Entry
Fox’s legacy taking a beating
Things just keep getting worse for ex-president Vicente Fox. Ever since scandal erupted last week over Fox’s lavish digs at his Guanajuato ranch, it seems each new day brings another revelation related to his wealth. The Mexican Congress is forming a commission to investigate Fox and determine if he used the presidency to get rich.
On the front page of today’s El Universal is splashed a picture of Fox’s bright red Jeep, which a businessman now says he bought for the president at the bequest of Fox’s wife, Marta Sahagun. The problem is, Fox never declared the vehicle in his list of holdings.
Meanwhile, the Reforma newspaper is asking questions about a white Jaguar, which likewise has yet to appear on Fox’s declarations. Reforma also has a story about three employees of the former first lady’s foundation, Vamos Mexico, who apparently have been getting paid by the federal government.
All this adds up to bad news for the former leader, who has been described as hyper-sensitive when it comes to his legacy. In his soon-to-be-released memoir, Fox brags about how different he is from past presidents who fattened their bank accounts while in office and fled the country once their term ended.
A recent poll shows 66 percent of Mexicans now believe Fox engaged in illicit enrichment while in office, while his wife’s favorable rating has plunged from 44 percent in 2005 to 23 percent.
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