Mexican judge jails ex-Pemex boss at center of corruption case

Former chief executive of state oil company Pemex, Emilio Lozoya, arrives at the Reclusorio Norte prison to face accusations of taking millions of dollars in bribes as well as money laundering, in Mexico City, Mexico November 3, 2021. REUTERS/Luis Cortes

A Mexican judge ordered the incarceration on Wednesday of Emilio Lozoya, the former chief executive of state oil company Pemex, while his corruption trial plays out, in a case critics argued has offered the embattled ex-CEO preferential treatment.

Lozoya was extradited to Mexico from Spain last year and is at the center of President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador's campaign to expose corruption that he says was rampant in past governments before he took office in late 2018.

Lozoya is accused of taking millions of dollars in bribes as well as money laundering, and while his legal team has requested several extensions in his case, he had so far avoided a so-called "preventative prison" order.

Journalists surround the vehicle transporting former chief executive of state oil company Pemex, Emilio Lozoya, after arriving at the Reclusorio Norte prison to face accusations of taking millions of dollars in bribes as well as money laundering, in Mexico City, Mexico November 3, 2021. REUTERS/Luis Cortes

Photos recently surfaced on social media of Lozoya dining at a high-end Chinese restaurant in one of Mexico City's wealthiest neighborhoods, sparking outrage among critics who contrasted his treatment with that of former social development minister Rosario Robles.

Robles, who like Lozoya also served in the administration of former President Enrique Pena Nieto, was jailed pending trial in 2019 in a separate alleged corruption scheme.

But Lozoya's accusations against other former officials and lawmakers are seen as benefiting Lopez Obrador, according to analysts.

Lozoya's lawyer told reporters later on Wednesday that he will appeal the judge's decision.

Lopez Obrador is a staunch critic of his predecessor's 2013-2014 energy reform, which ended Pemex's decades-old monopoly among other business-friendly changes, and instead has pursued more state-centric policies.

In sworn testimony, Lozoya has confessed to a scheme to channel bribes through him to buy votes for the energy reform. Leading officials of the last government have denied this.

Lawmakers from Lopez Obrador's leftist ruling party have said the reform should be repealed or legally reversed if it turns out it was approved due to bribery.

(Reporting by Diego Ore; Additional reporting by Sharay Angulo; Writing by Cassandra Garrison; Editing by David Alire Garcia and Stephen Coates)