Three former executives for Brazilian construction company Odebrecht claim that payments for $10 million were made to former Petróleos Mexicanos (Pemex) director Emilio Lozoya Austin.
Documents obtained by Brazilian newspaper O Globo reveal that in exchange for this amount, Odebrecht won a $115 million contract to build a refinery in Tula, Hidalgo.
“According to former Odebrecht Mexico director Luis Alberto de Meneses Weyll, payments began in March 2012 when Lozoya Austin was a key element in Enrique Peña Nieto’s presidential campaign and continued until 2014,” published O Globo.
O Globo also claims that it was Lozoya Austin that recommended that Odebrecht partnered with Tapia Industrial Constructions in order to be able to bid for the contract.
Newspaper El País said that the investigation by El Quinto Element Lab relates to Meneses Weyll, Luis Mameri and Hilberto da Silva, all former Odebrecht executives that agreed to collaborate with the investigation in exchange for reduced sentences.
“Documents and testimony point to the fact that Emilio Lozoya asked for $4.1 million between April and November of 2012,” published El País.
