In February 2024, Eduardo Fernández García was detained at Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas International Airport, coming from Miami. He is accused of attempted aggravated extortion, according to an arrest warrant issued by a judge in Mexico City. Fernández claimed in an interview that the accusations against him are unfounded and that it is a manufactured case.
Televisa spokesman, Javier Tejado Dondé, responded to Fernández's accusations, labeling him as a "professional extortionist," which has allegedly been demonstrated before judicial and ministerial authorities. According to Tejado, Fernández attempted to extort several media outlets to publicize his complaint, relating this to the supposed attempt to extort the company.
In later statements, Fernández denied the accusations against him and described the situation as madness, pointing out that it was unthinkable to attempt to extort a company as important as Televisa. The controversy between Fernández and Televisa intensified when the former president of the CNBV was found guilty by a court for the attempted multimillion-dollar extortion against the media company.
According to the judge's ruling, Fernández allegedly sent letters demanding 250 million dollars in exchange for not reporting alleged illicit activities of Grupo Televisa in managing its resources. This controversy dates back to October 2022, when Fernández filed a complaint with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission regarding alleged illegal operations by Televisa executives.
In the complaint, Fernández pointed out that high-ranking executives of the company had received cash bribes from corrupt officials, governments, and political parties, through money laundering operations and alleged corruption. According to Fernández, these illegal practices took place between 2008 and 2011, involving a series of fraudulent transactions and maneuvers to launder 40 million dollars from illicit activities.
