Raúl Salinas de Gortari
Encyclopedia
Raúl Salinas de Gortari (b. August or September, 1946) is a Mexican
businessman.
Raúl Salinas is the brother of former President of Mexico
Carlos Salinas
. He is best known for being convicted of masterminding the killing of José Francisco Ruiz Massieu
, his former brother-in-law, although he was acquitted upon appeal in 2005. His alleged money laundering
of millions of dollars, involvement in the illegal drug trade
, and playboy lifestyle make him one of Mexico's most villainized personalities. His legendary corruption made him influential in the shift away from one party rule, as Mexicans looked for political reform that would eliminate the potential for similar abuses of power.
on December 17, 1951, when they were five and three years old, respectively. The killing was ruled an accident, and no one was charged. The two continued their strong relationship as they approached college, where Raúl studied engineering
. When Carlos graduated from the UNAM
, he dedicated his thesis not to his parents, but to Raúl.
. Ruiz Massieu died in a hospital an hour later. Aguilar was quickly captured and his confession led to the capture of a number of co-conspirators. The killing sent all of Mexico into an uproar.
To lead the investigation, President Salinas immediately selected Mario Ruiz Massieu, the brother of the victim and a justice official, he was the head prosecutor in the case. His investigation uncovered a massive conspiracy, by all appearances originating from the country's ruling political party. But when a key source in the investigation mysteriously disappeared, Mario Ruiz Massieu publicly accused the PRI of blocking his investigation on November 15, 1994. Following the statement, confidence in the party and in the government as a whole plummeted, both nationally and internationally, and $1.5 billion of foreign investment left the country on the following day. Mario Ruiz Massieu resigned officially on November 23, 1994.
But soon after, Mario Ruiz Massieu fled Mexico, and U.S. authorities found that he had deposited $7 million in a Texas
bank. Suspicions that he was covering up the perpetrators of his brother's death rose as case's new chief prosecutor, Pablo Chapa Bezanilla, began interviewing family members of the deceased and was led to suspect Salinas. Salinas and José Ruiz Massieu had been bitter enemies, stemming back to Ruiz Massieu's divorce of Salinas's sister Adriana in 1978. Eventually, Chapa Bezanilla discovered that all mentions of Raúl Salinas had been eliminated from the testimonies of the captured conspirators. (In 1999, Mario Ruiz Massieu was found dead of an apparent overdose of antidepressants at his home in New Jersey, where he had been under house arrest. He had been scheduled to be arraigned in federal court in Texas on charges of money laundering.)
For president Ernesto Zedillo, this revelation was shocking, because Carlos Salinas had selected Zedillo to be his successor, and because Zedillo considered Carlos Salinas to be a mentor and friend. Facing the choice between preserving his relationship with the former president and protecting the law, Zedillo ordered the arrest of Raúl, arresting him on February 28, 1995. The move was unprecedented in the history of the PRI, in which presidents always protected their predecessors. Carlos Salinas immediately began publicly defending himself, claiming that his family was being slandered and accusing Zedillo of damaging Mexico's international image. However, the ensuing investigation continued to point to Raúl Salinas, and questions began arising about whether or not Carlos Salinas would have known about his brother's involvement.
On June 14, 2005 Raúl was acquitted of the murder of Ruiz Massieu and liberated with a posted bail of almost $3 million pending accusations of corruption-related crimes.
were arrested in Geneva
, Switzerland
after attempting to withdraw $84 million USD from an account owned by Raúl under an alias. Their capture led to the unveiling of a vast fortune spread around the world and summing to hundreds of millions of dollars, even though he never officially received an annual income of more than $190,000. A report by the U.S. General Accounting Office indicated that Raul Salinas transferred over $90 million out of Mexico and into private bank accounts in London and Switzerland, through a complex set of transactions between 1992 and 1994, all with the help of Citibank
and its affiliates. In 2008, the government of Switzerland turned over $74 million, out of the $110 million in frozen bank accounts held by Raul Salinas, to the government of Mexico. The Swiss Justice Ministry indicated that the Mexican government had demonstrated that $66 million of the funds had been misappropriated, and the funds, with interest, were returned to Mexico. The bank accounts were held at Pictet & Cie
, Citibank Zurich, Julius Baer Bank, and Banque privée Edmond de Rothschild
in Geneva and Zurich. Other funds were returned to third parties, including Mexican billionaire Carlos Peralta Quintero, who had given the funds to Raul Salinas to set up an investment company. The Salinas family would not receive back any of the frozen funds.
On December 6, 2004, Enrique Salinas
de Gortari, the brother of Raul Salinas de Gortari, was found dead in his car after apparently having been beaten and strangled. Prosecutors said that Enrique Salinas had been sought for questioning by French police regarding his financial transactions with Raul Salinas. However, investigators indicated that they thought the killing was a botched extortion attempt on him.
Mexican people
Mexican people refers to all persons from Mexico, a multiethnic country in North America, and/or who identify with the Mexican cultural and/or national identity....
businessman.
Raúl Salinas is the brother of former President of Mexico
President of Mexico
The President of the United Mexican States is the head of state and government of Mexico. Under the Constitution, the president is also the Supreme Commander of the Mexican armed forces...
Carlos Salinas
Carlos Salinas
Carlos Salinas de Gortari is a Mexican economist and politician affiliated to the Institutional Revolutionary Party who served as President of Mexico from 1988 to 1994. Earlier in his career he worked in the Budget Secretariat all the way up to Secretary...
. He is best known for being convicted of masterminding the killing of José Francisco Ruiz Massieu
José Francisco Ruiz Massieu
José Francisco Ruiz Massieu was a Mexican political figure. He was governor of Guerrero from 1987 to 1993. He then served as the secretary-general of the Institutional Revolutionary Party in 1994...
, his former brother-in-law, although he was acquitted upon appeal in 2005. His alleged money laundering
Money laundering
Money laundering is the process of disguising illegal sources of money so that it looks like it came from legal sources. The methods by which money may be laundered are varied and can range in sophistication. Many regulatory and governmental authorities quote estimates each year for the amount...
of millions of dollars, involvement in the illegal drug trade
Illegal drug trade
The illegal drug trade is a global black market, dedicated to cultivation, manufacture, distribution and sale of those substances which are subject to drug prohibition laws. Most jurisdictions prohibit trade, except under license, of many types of drugs by drug prohibition laws.A UN report said the...
, and playboy lifestyle make him one of Mexico's most villainized personalities. His legendary corruption made him influential in the shift away from one party rule, as Mexicans looked for political reform that would eliminate the potential for similar abuses of power.
Early life
As a child, Raúl was close to his younger brother Carlos, and the two did much together. They shared many experiences, including the execution-style killing of a twelve-year-old household maid with a .22 caliber rifle.22 Long Rifle
The .22 Long Rifle rimfire cartridge is a long established variety of ammunition, and in terms of units sold is still by far the most common in the world today. The cartridge is often referred to simply as .22 LR and various rifles, pistols, revolvers, and even some smoothbore shotguns have...
on December 17, 1951, when they were five and three years old, respectively. The killing was ruled an accident, and no one was charged. The two continued their strong relationship as they approached college, where Raúl studied engineering
Engineering
Engineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
. When Carlos graduated from the UNAM
Unam
UNAM or UNaM may refer to:* National University of Misiones, a National University in Posadas, Argentina*National Autonomous University of Mexico , the large public autonomous university based in Mexico City...
, he dedicated his thesis not to his parents, but to Raúl.
Ruiz Massieu case
José Francisco Ruiz Massieu was a politician of emerging importance – he served as the general secretary of the ruling party during the term of Carlos Salinas, and was scheduled to become the Congress majority leader under the new administration. Daniel Aguilar, a semi-literate farm worker, shot Ruiz Massieu at 9:35 a.m. on September 28, 1994 in the middle of Mexico CityMexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
. Ruiz Massieu died in a hospital an hour later. Aguilar was quickly captured and his confession led to the capture of a number of co-conspirators. The killing sent all of Mexico into an uproar.
To lead the investigation, President Salinas immediately selected Mario Ruiz Massieu, the brother of the victim and a justice official, he was the head prosecutor in the case. His investigation uncovered a massive conspiracy, by all appearances originating from the country's ruling political party. But when a key source in the investigation mysteriously disappeared, Mario Ruiz Massieu publicly accused the PRI of blocking his investigation on November 15, 1994. Following the statement, confidence in the party and in the government as a whole plummeted, both nationally and internationally, and $1.5 billion of foreign investment left the country on the following day. Mario Ruiz Massieu resigned officially on November 23, 1994.
But soon after, Mario Ruiz Massieu fled Mexico, and U.S. authorities found that he had deposited $7 million in a Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
bank. Suspicions that he was covering up the perpetrators of his brother's death rose as case's new chief prosecutor, Pablo Chapa Bezanilla, began interviewing family members of the deceased and was led to suspect Salinas. Salinas and José Ruiz Massieu had been bitter enemies, stemming back to Ruiz Massieu's divorce of Salinas's sister Adriana in 1978. Eventually, Chapa Bezanilla discovered that all mentions of Raúl Salinas had been eliminated from the testimonies of the captured conspirators. (In 1999, Mario Ruiz Massieu was found dead of an apparent overdose of antidepressants at his home in New Jersey, where he had been under house arrest. He had been scheduled to be arraigned in federal court in Texas on charges of money laundering.)
For president Ernesto Zedillo, this revelation was shocking, because Carlos Salinas had selected Zedillo to be his successor, and because Zedillo considered Carlos Salinas to be a mentor and friend. Facing the choice between preserving his relationship with the former president and protecting the law, Zedillo ordered the arrest of Raúl, arresting him on February 28, 1995. The move was unprecedented in the history of the PRI, in which presidents always protected their predecessors. Carlos Salinas immediately began publicly defending himself, claiming that his family was being slandered and accusing Zedillo of damaging Mexico's international image. However, the ensuing investigation continued to point to Raúl Salinas, and questions began arising about whether or not Carlos Salinas would have known about his brother's involvement.
On June 14, 2005 Raúl was acquitted of the murder of Ruiz Massieu and liberated with a posted bail of almost $3 million pending accusations of corruption-related crimes.
Alleged money laundering
In November, 1995, Raúl Salinas's wife, Paulina Castañon and his brother-in-law, Antonio CastañonAntonio Castañon
Antonio Castanon is a Mexican businessman.-Alleged money laundering:In November, 1995, Antonio Castañon and Paulina Castañon, Raúl Salinas's wife, were arrested in Geneva, Switzerland after attempting to withdraw $84 million USD from an account owned by Raúl Salinas de Gortari, brother of Mexican...
were arrested in Geneva
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
after attempting to withdraw $84 million USD from an account owned by Raúl under an alias. Their capture led to the unveiling of a vast fortune spread around the world and summing to hundreds of millions of dollars, even though he never officially received an annual income of more than $190,000. A report by the U.S. General Accounting Office indicated that Raul Salinas transferred over $90 million out of Mexico and into private bank accounts in London and Switzerland, through a complex set of transactions between 1992 and 1994, all with the help of Citibank
Citibank
Citibank, a major international bank, is the consumer banking arm of financial services giant Citigroup. Citibank was founded in 1812 as the City Bank of New York, later First National City Bank of New York...
and its affiliates. In 2008, the government of Switzerland turned over $74 million, out of the $110 million in frozen bank accounts held by Raul Salinas, to the government of Mexico. The Swiss Justice Ministry indicated that the Mexican government had demonstrated that $66 million of the funds had been misappropriated, and the funds, with interest, were returned to Mexico. The bank accounts were held at Pictet & Cie
Pictet & Cie
-Pictet & Cie, Private Bankers, Geneva, Switzerland:Founded in 1805 in Geneva, Pictet & Cie is today one of Switzerland's largest private banks, and one of the premier independent asset management specialists in Europe...
, Citibank Zurich, Julius Baer Bank, and Banque privée Edmond de Rothschild
Banque privée Edmond de Rothschild
Banque Privée Edmond de Rothschild S.A. is a private bank headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. It is exclusively dedicated to wealth management for private and institutional clients. It is a part of Edmond de Rothschild Group. It is listed on the Swiss Exchange...
in Geneva and Zurich. Other funds were returned to third parties, including Mexican billionaire Carlos Peralta Quintero, who had given the funds to Raul Salinas to set up an investment company. The Salinas family would not receive back any of the frozen funds.
On December 6, 2004, Enrique Salinas
Enrique Salinas
Enrique Eduardo Guillermo Salinas de Gortari was the youngest brother of former president of Mexico Carlos Salinas....
de Gortari, the brother of Raul Salinas de Gortari, was found dead in his car after apparently having been beaten and strangled. Prosecutors said that Enrique Salinas had been sought for questioning by French police regarding his financial transactions with Raul Salinas. However, investigators indicated that they thought the killing was a botched extortion attempt on him.