, the former Pemex director linked to several corruption cases and accused of fraud and money laundering , agreed to be extradited to Mexico.
Emilio Lozoya Austin has been accused of taking bribes from Odebrecht and of being involved in the fraudulent sale-purchase of a fertilizer plant from Agronitrogenados.
Lozoya Austin was arrested in Málaga, Spain on February 12, 2020, after being on the run for months. For almost a year, the Interpol collaborated with Mexican authorities to find and arrest Emilio Lozoya , who fled to Europe.
In a statement, the Attorney General’s Office announced Emilio Lozoya agreed to his extradition and will collaborate with Mexican authorities.
Mexican authorities will send an airplane to Spain to fly the f ormer Pemex director back to Mexico.
The FGR emphasized the investigation will be transparent.
A few hours later, Javier Coello Trejo , Lozoya's lawyer in Mexico, announced he would no longer represent the former Pemex chief because they have differences regarding the defense strategy .
Meanwhile, Spanish authorities are deciding whether they will immediately extradite Emilio Lozoya to Mexico or not.
Lozoya will remain at the Navalcarnero prison in Madrid until his extradition.
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Who is Emilio Lozoya?
President Enrique Peña Nieto appointed Lozoya as Pemex's executive director on December 4, 2012.
Emilio Lozoya has been linked to Odebrecht , as he allegedly received a USD 10.5 million bribe from the Brazilian company.
In April 2016, Lozoya was linked to another scandal: the Panama Papers . He was linked to a law firm called Mossack Fonseca. Lozano allegedly reached out to the law firm to create an offshore company in Dubai.
In 2015, he was involved in a corruption case linked to OHL , a construction company where he worked before being appointed as Pemex's executive director.
According to leaked phone calls, Lozoya met with Juan Miguel Villar Mir, the OHL director, to discuss the participation of OHL in Pemex's tenders.
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