Mexico's Supreme Court rules against magnate's $2.6B tax debt challenges

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MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexico’s Supreme Court on Thursday rejected legal measures from companies in the conglomerate led by one of the country’s wealthiest men, challenging tax debts of more than $2.6 billion dollars.

The court ruled against seven of nine legal remedies similar to an injunction called “amparos,” filed by various companies of Ricardo Salinas Pliego. It did not rule yet on the other two. The debts date from more than a decade ago.

The decisions cannot be appealed, but Grupo Salinas, the umbrella conglomerate, and Mexico’s tax authority could negotiate an agreement. That could be complicated however, as Salinas insists that he is being targeted because of his criticism of the current administration.

Salinas, a TV, retail and banking magnate, is one of the current administration's most outspoken critics.

The government also separately suspended two casinos owned by Grupo Salinas companies this week over alleged money laundering, which Grupo Salinas denied.

Following the ruling Thursday, Grupo Salinas said it did not rule out going to other international courts to avoid what it described as “abusive and illegal double charges.”

The administration of President Claudia Sheinbaum has emphasized getting Mexico’s biggest tax debtors to pay up and her party recently reformed the amparo law to make it more difficult for debtors to delay paying taxes.

This is also a new Supreme Court that for the first time is made up of justices elected by voters. That was part of a controversial reform opposed by opposition political parties and criticized by the United States. Most of the justices who won the election are considered to have ties to the governing party.

But Sheinbaum has tried to cut off that line of argument. In late September, when the total of Salinas’ tax debts were known, the president said “debts are not politicized, they are paid, it’s that simple.”

She said then that if Salinas decided to pay then, he could be eligible for the same potential discounts that any other overdue taxpayer would be. “But he has to decide to pay,” she said.

Grupo Salinas maintains that the tax authority has not told them the exact amounts due and at various times said authorities have not complied with agreements they reached.

On Thursday, Grupo Salinas said via X that “today is a black day for justice and the rule of law in Mexico,” adding that the court acted “at the service of political power and not justice.”