Spanish Court Keeps Former Mexican Oil Chief in Detention

MADRID (AP) — A Spanish court ruled Thursday that a former head of Mexico’s state oil company must remain in custody while an extradition case is heard against him.

A judge ruled that Emilio Lozoya is a flight risk, according to a statement from the National Court in Madrid.

FILE - In this Oct. 16, 2015 file photo, Emilio Lozoya, CEO of Petroleos Mexicanos (PEMEX), attends a meeting in Paris, France. The former head of Mexico's state oil company was arrested Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2020 in Spain on a international warrant issued by Mexico, authorities in both countries said. Mexico issued international arrest warrants against Lozoya in 2019 as a result of corruption investigations, including into his alleged ties to Odebrecht, the Brazilian construction company that secured contracts across Latin America through a network of bribes. (AP Photo/Jacques Brinon, File)

Mexico issued international arrest warrants against Lozoya last year as a result of corruption investigations. Lozoya has denied wrongdoing.

When he was arrested Wednesday in the southeastern Spanish port of Malaga, Lozoya had a driving license bearing his photograph but a different name, according to the court statement.

He is one of the most high-profile detentions for alleged corruption under Mexico’s current president, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who has vowed to crack down on graft.

Lozoya was the director of Pemex between 2012 and 2016, during the administration of former President Enrique Peña Nieto.

Categories / Criminal, Energy, International

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