A White House Built On Scandal

摘要

Mexico has been engulfed in protests since the disappearance and alleged murder of 43 college students by a drug gang. While he contends with the unrest, President Enrique Pena Nieto also faces a big challenge to his economic agenda because of a scandal involving his wife, former soap opera star Angelica Rivera, and Grupo Higa, a government contractor. On Nov. 3, the Pena Nieto administration awarded a $4.3 billion contract to build a high-speed railway to a group led by China Railway Construction. Three days later the government canceled the deal, citing general "doubts and concerns." On Nov. 9, reporters led by prominent journalist Carmen Aristegui revealed that Rivera had agreed in 2012 to purchase an opulent property-called the White House because of its color-from a unit of Higa, a partner in the winning China-led bid. Aristegui's team further revealed that the Higa unit still held the deed to the house. In response, the first lady said on YouTube that she'd paid 14.3 million pesos ($995,000) of the 54 million-peso purchase price. So the first lady's mansion is owned by a construction company that has bid successfully for government contracts.