A jury in Houston put an end to a businessman’s corrupt party
Well, nothing, the gringo justice has just given a certain blow to the piñata of corruption and instead of candy falling, a Mexican businessman came out with his hands cuffed. The United States Department of Justice announced the conviction of Alexandro Rovirosa, a 46-year-old guy who lived the quiet life in The Woodlands, Texas, but whose favorite hobby was orchestrating a bribery scheme against Pemex officials. Because of course, what better pastime than conspiring to get illicitly rich?
According to the official statement, which sounds more serious than a judge on a Friday of sentences, Rovirosa and his cronies (including another Mexican, Mario Alberto Ávila Lizarraga) dedicated themselves, between 2019 and 2021, to distributing more than 150 thousand dollars in bribes. But they weren’t simple transfers, oh no. The evidence showed that the menu of corruption included cash payments, luxury items and “other valuable items.” Basically a Game of Thrones style rewards program, but for oil contracts instead of the Iron Throne.
The modus operandi: from Texas to the Pemex offices
The plot, worthy of a Netflix series that no one would ask for, consisted of targeting at least three officials from Pemex and its subsidiary PEP. The goal? That these public employees pulled strings so that companies linked to Rovirosa retained juicy contracts and received payments on time, in addition to obtaining other improper advantages. That is, the classic “I give you, you give me”, but on a million-dollar scale and with the money of all Mexicans involved.
The Acting Deputy Attorney General, Matthew R. Galeotti, uttered the protocol but forceful phrase: this type of bribery “undermines fair competition and unjustly enriches those who do wrong.”. Translation: they ruin the game for those who do want to do clean business and line their pockets at the expense of the treasury. Jeffrey D. Pittano, special agent in charge of the FDIC OIG, added that the conviction serves to “hold the defendant accountable.” A clear message: do not believe that because your transnational corruption scheme operates from US soil it would go unnoticed.
And boy did their plan work… for a while. Thanks to these “little help” under the table, the companies in the Rovirosa circle secured contracts with Pemex and PEP worth at least 2.5 million dollars. A not insignificant sum that shows that, sometimes, the initial “investment” in expensive watches or suitcases of cash has a spectacular ROI (until you get caught, of course).
The moral of this story, beyond the black humor, is that international judicial collaboration is putting a spotlight on these illicit acts. The case sets an important precedent for the prosecution of corruption crimes that are concocted from the United States, regardless of where the payments materialize. A reminder that bad practices, sooner or later, take their toll.
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