Page 12 - ARUBATODDAY 22AUG,2015
P. 12
A12
WORLD NEWSSaturday 22 August 2015
CARIBBEAN & Mexico’s first lady returns mansion after scandal
LATIN BRIEFS
E. CASTILLO The company agreed
Body of American Associated Press
who fell from cruise MEXICO CITY (AP) — First to return about $875,000
lady Angelica Rivera has
found off Roatan returned the $7 million (14.5 million pesos) she had
mansion she bought from
TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras a firm that won lucrative made in payments on the
(AP) — Authorities in Hon- contracts with the adminis-
duras say the body of a tration of President Enrique mansion.
U.S. tourist who fell from a Pena Nieto, Mexico’s Pub-
cruise ship has been found lic Administration Depart- Andrade said the investi-
in waters near the island of ment said Friday.
Roatan. Tourism Institute The department’s head gation showed that Rivera
press director Emilio Silves- also said that neither the
tri identified the tourist as president nor his wife had had bought the house be-
65-year-old Carol Ann Di- incurred in any conflicts
mas and says she fell from of interest. But the inves- fore Pena Nieto took office
the ship after it left Roatan tigation headed by Vir-
en route to the Cayman gilio Andrade apparently in December 2012, and
Islands. He did not release consisted largely of asking
her hometown. He said the government employees that there was no evidence
incident took place 8 kilo- whether they had steered
meters (5 miles) from the contracts to the firm, and that Pena Nieto intervened
Honduran island, which is critics have questioned An-
popular with foreign tour- drade’s independence be- to steer contracts to the
ists. Silvestri said the navy cause he was appointed
and Red Cross searched by the president himself. company. “The investiga-
for five hours without find- After a scandal erupted
ing Dimas, but then em- in 2014 amid news reports tion shows that my wife’s
ployees of Miami-based about the property, Rivera
Carnival Corp., which said in November that she conduct as well as mine
owns the cruise ship, found was buying the house from
the floating body Thursday. the company on monthly were clearly according to
payments with money she
Haiti officials to earned as an actress. The the law,” Pena Nieto said
redo voting in 25 company was to hold title
to the mansion until it was later Friday.
districts: report paid off.
Rivera said she would sell The president did, how-
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (AP) her rights to the property
— Haitian election authori- after questions arose about ever, recognize that Mexi-
ties say they will redo vot- the president’s relation-
ing in 25 districts due to vio- ship with contractor Grupo cans had lost confidence
lent disruptions that marred Higa.
legislative elections earlier The mansion was built by in the government that
this month. At a Thursday
news conference, leaders will not be won back with
of the Provisional Electoral
Council announced they speeches. Pena Nieto of-
would redo first round vot-
ing in over 15 percent of fered “a sincere apology”
Haiti’s constituencies Oct.
25. That’s when all the to Mexicans upset by what
other districts will be voting
in the first round of Haiti’s Mexico’s first lady Angelica Rivera arrives at Los Pinos presi- he called “interpretations”
presidential election and dential residence, in Mexico City. Rivera returned the $7 million
the second round of local mansion she bought from a firm that had won lucrative con- of the irregularities.
elections. Eighteen per- tracts with the administration of President Enrique Pena Nieto,
cent of voters showed up Mexico’s Public Administration Department said Friday, Aug. 21, Doubts have surrounded
Aug. 9 at polling stations 2015.
across Haiti, where turn- Andrade’s investigation, in
out is historically low during (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)
legislative contests. Coun- part because of his lack of
cil Deputy Mosler Georges
said they had preliminary independence; Pena Nieto
results of the first round and
those results will stand. They appointed him in February
told reporters to review
their website for the elec- one of contractor’s subsid- Competitors complained to investigate his own ad-
tion breakdown, but the iaries. the bidding process had
site was down.q Just days before the news been rushed. ministration.
reports surfaced, Pena Andrade said Friday that
Nieto’s government can- Rivera had reached an Andrade’s investiga-
celed a high-speed rail agreement with the Gru-
contract that had been po Higa subsidiary to pay tion apparently consisted
granted to the sole bidder, about $635,000 (10.5 million
a consortium that included pesos) in rent for the nearly largely of asking Pena Ni-
Constructora Teya, anoth- three years she used the
er Grupo Higa company. property. eto’s office if he intervened
in awarding contracts, and
asking 111 government
employees if anyone had
pressured them into award-
ing contracts.q
Brazil:
Leader of lower house denies corruption charges
STAN LEHMAN In a meeting with union cused of accepting $5 mil- elected president in nearly
Associated Press leaders in Sao Paulo on Fri- lion in bribes between 2006 three decades after a mili-
SAO PAULO (AP) — The day, Cunha said there was and 2012 in connection tary dictatorship. But he re-
speaker of Brazil’s lower not “the slightest chance” with the construction of two signed in 1992 just before
house of congress on Fri- he will resign as speaker of Petrobras drilling ships. He the Senate impeached
day strongly denied newly the house. “I have done is charged with corruption him over allegations he re-
filed charges of corruption nothing wrong and they and with money launder- ceived millions from a slush
and said he won’t resign have no evidence against ing. MNo details in the case fund run by his former cam-
from office. me,” Cunha said. against Collor were made paign treasurer.
Attorney General Rodrigo “Resignation has never public. The prosecutor’s of- The charges against the
Janot filed the charges been, or will it ever be, fice said that was because two men have been filed
Thursday against Chamber part of my vocabulary,” he it is based on accusations with the Supreme Court,
of Deputies speaker Eduar- added. from an active informant which must now decide
do Cunha and former Presi- On his Facebook page, and revealing details could whether they will go on trial.
dent Fernando Collor, who Cunha said, “My con- jeopardize the investiga- Under Brazilian law, charg-
is now a senator. Janot science is clear and I will tion. es against federal con-
said the two men took part continue as Speaker of the Collor told Brazilian media gressmen and other top
in the sprawling corrup- Chamber of Deputies with on Thursday that he was government officials can
tion scheme at state-run same candor and inde- not guilty of any wrongdo- only be filed and judged by
oil company Petrobras in pendence of always.” ing. the Supreme Court, which
which billions in bribes were Prosecutors said in a state- In the early 1990s, Collor can take years to rule on
allegedly paid. ment that Cunha is ac- became Brazil’s first freely such cases.q
