The Supreme Court of Justice of Mexico issued its ruling against businessman Ricardo Salinas Pliego, demanding that he pay his tax debt to the Mexican government in the amount of 50 billion Mexican pesos (approximately $2.729 billion).

After a session lasting more than three hours, the Supreme Court justices unanimously ruled that the final appeals filed by Grupo Elektra and TV Azteca to challenge seven tax assessments were dismissed.

In response to the Mexican Supreme Court's final decision, Grupo Salinas issued a statement on its social media channels declaring it "a dark day" and announcing it would appeal to international bodies to challenge the ruling.

"Today is a dark day for justice and the rule of law in Mexico. The illegitimate Supreme Court voted against Grupo Salinas without any legal analysis, following orders and mandates from the Mexican government. This sets a serious precedent with implications beyond our cases: the Court has ceased to defend citizens and businesses, eliminating safeguards such as the writ of amparo and validating abusive and illegal double charges, all in order to serve those in power." "But let it be clear: we will continue fighting in other venues, defending our rights in national and international courts and demanding that the amounts be fair and correct. We are here and we will remain here for many more years," he stated on his social media. "The resolutions issued in this instance compel us to resort to other avenues, including international ones, in order to ensure the full guarantee and protection of our human rights, demanding the elimination of unconstitutional double charges and disproportionate purposes, and exposing to the world all the evidence of the systematic political persecution against Mr. Salinas Pliego and the authoritarianism of the so-called Fourth Transformation," the statement mentions. Earlier in the morning, at his press conference at the National Palace,Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo asserted that in the case of Mexican businessman Ricardo Salinas Pliego, who is accused of tax evasion in Mexico and the United States, there is “nothing political” about it. She indicated that it is the Grupo Salinas company that is politicizing the matter and playing the victim. "It has nothing to do with politics. The one politicizing the case, in this instance, is Grupo Salinas. They are the ones politicizing the case, the ones playing the victim. No, what matters here is that the law is upheld, that's all. No one, as Juarez said, is above the law. So the law is what it is, nothing more, nothing less; it is the law," she said. "If it hadn't been made public, what would have happened at the time? Because now there's a kind of victimhood narrative, 'I'm being persecuted.' Well, it's a legal matter that has been litigated for a long time and remained in litigation, and now it's in the hands of the court, and everything is within the law.” "the law," she commented. The Mexican president's statements come after the owner of Grupo Salinas, who traveled to El Salvador where he visited President Nayib Bukele, accused the Mexican government of targeting one of his casino companies for allegedly being behind a money laundering network.

“One of our companies, which is in the gaming business, had its accounts frozen. We are being accused of money laundering. It's nothing, it's just politics,” the businessman stated while participating in a presentation on Bitcoin in El Salvador on Wednesday.

From the National Palace, the head of the Mexican executive branch told reporters that to discuss the case of Ricardo Salinas Plegos and his companies further, she would prefer to wait and see what the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation decides later that day regarding several tax lawsuits faced by Grupo Elektra and TV Azteca, both owned by the Mexican businessman.

“There is autonomy in the judiciary, let it also be known, the justices of the political court were elected by the people and they owe their allegiance to the people, to no one else, they owe their allegiance to the people, not to the president, not to a party, not to anyone, they owe their allegiance to the people, they owe their allegiance to the people, and to uphold the Constitution and the laws, that is their role, that "It's their job, and that's what they should do," Sheinbaum Pardo stated.

The tax disputes Salinas Pliego faces in Mexico and the US

Ricardo Salinas Pliego, owner of Grupo Salinas, Grupo Elektra, and TV Azteca, among others, is accused by the US and Mexican governments of tax evasion and millions of dollars in debt.

In the United States, the Mexican businessman faces several legal disputes, including a debt of more than $580 million to foreign creditors.

“I am happy. The information circulated today by spokespeople for @JesusRCuevas regarding an alleged payment to the US is nothing more than another disinformation campaign by the 4T (Fourth Transformation), which seeks to divert attention with lies from what is truly important: that they clearly explain to us the private flight that brought @adan_augusto's accomplice to Mexico,” Salinas Pliego stated on his social media on September 23.

“I am happy. The information circulated today by spokespeople for @JesusRCuevas regarding an alleged payment to the US is nothing more than another disinformation campaign by the 4T (Fourth Transformation), which seeks to divert attention with lies from what is truly important: that they clearly explain to us the private flight that brought @adan_augusto's accomplice to Mexico,” Salinas Pliego stated on his social media on September 23.

“I am happy. The information circulated today by spokespeople for @JesusRCuevas regarding an alleged payment to the US is nothing more than another disinformation campaign by the 4T (Fourth Transformation), which seeks to divert attention with lies from what is truly important: that they clearly explain to us the private flight that brought @adan_augusto's accomplice to Mexico,” Salinas Pliego stated on his social media on September 23.

In Mexico, the Claudia Sheinbaum's government is demanding that the Mexican businessman fulfill his tax obligations after failing to pay more than 74 billion pesos, a sum that accumulated since 2008 in 32 tax lawsuits. "We need to remember a bit, in this particular case, remember that it was a case of litigation that lasted 15 years. There are several lengthy litigation cases with many injunctions, injunctions, and more injunctions, with Supreme Court justices who shelved the case to prevent it from being discussed," Claudia Sheinbaum stated. "We don't use power for anyone's benefit, oh yes, for the benefit of the people, that's true, we govern for the people and by the people, but all within the framework of the law, of current laws. The court must act the same way, any judge, any authority, and the citizens must act the same way. Citizens, men and women, must respect the laws, and that's what the rule of law is for, that's what it's called, so there's nothing more to it than that." "law," the president argued in his press conference this Thursday, November 13.in which he committed to paying interest at an annual rate of 8.25%, however, the commitment was not fulfilled and he stopped paying in 2021.

“I am happy. The information circulated today by spokespeople for @JesusRCuevas regarding an alleged payment to the US is nothing more than another disinformation campaign by the 4T (Fourth Transformation), which seeks to divert attention with lies from what is truly important:that they clearly explain to us the private flight that brought @adan_augusto's accomplice to Mexico,” Salinas Pliego stated on his social media on September 23.

In Mexico, the Claudia Sheinbaum's government is demanding that the Mexican businessman fulfill his tax obligations after failing to pay more than 74 billion pesos, a sum that accumulated since 2008 in 32 tax lawsuits. "We need to remember a bit, in this particular case, remember that it was a case of litigation that lasted 15 years. There are several lengthy litigation cases with many injunctions, injunctions, and more injunctions, with Supreme Court justices who shelved the case to prevent it from being discussed," Claudia Sheinbaum stated. "We don't use power for anyone's benefit, oh yes, for the benefit of the people, that's true, we govern for the people and by the people, but all within the framework of the law, of current laws. The court must act the same way, any judge, any authority, and the citizens must act the same way. Citizens, men and women, must respect the laws, and that's what the rule of law is for, that's what it's called, so there's nothing more to it than that." "law," the president argued in his press conference this Thursday, November 13.in which he committed to paying interest at an annual rate of 8.25%, however, the commitment was not fulfilled and he stopped paying in 2021.