The Mexican conglomerate Grupo Salinas, owned by businessman Ricardo Salinas Pliego, has accused the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation (SCJN) of “acting in the service of political power” and declared that the “rule of law no longer exists in Mexico.” This statement comes amid ongoing tax litigations with the Tax Administration Service (SAT).
According to the federal government, the cases closest to being resolved at the Supreme Court involve debts of approximately 48 billion pesos. In recent weeks, the conglomerate had already announced its intention to turn to the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, considering the actions of tax authorities a “systematic persecution.”
The SAT, for its part, has denied the existence of any formal agreement with Grupo Salinas to settle the debts, maintaining that the conglomerate “can pay at any time without restriction.”
On October 28, President Claudia Sheinbaum affirmed that the collection of the tax debt from Grupo Salinas “is not a personal or political matter, but a technical one.” The company, however, urged the SAT to “quantify the amount of our tax credits, in accordance with the law, without double-charging and eliminating exorbitant surcharges, in order to proceed to settle them.”
“We urge all of Mexico to be clear: no matter the political pressure, selective justice, or attempts to silence us, we are here and we will continue to be here for many more years,” the statement concludes.
Conflict with the SAT Grupo Salinas is involved in 32 tax litigations with the SAT for a total amount of around 74 billion pesos, corresponding to the fiscal years 2008 to 2013. “The more than 280 mentions against us in their morning press conferences are, among other elements, a clear demonstration of this,” the company stated.
Accusation of Judicial Manipulation In the coming days, the Supreme Court will rule on several of the tax litigations of the conglomerate's companies, and Grupo Salinas anticipated that the rulings will be adverse.
“That day, all Mexicans will witness the end of the Judicial Power as a counterweight and a useful tool for the Mexican people,” the company warned. The text also denounced that “the untimely inclusion of our cases in the official court list” last Friday “already makes the direction of its rulings clear,” which, it assured, “confirms that justice and the rule of law no longer exist in Mexico.”
The company accuses the ministers of the Court of endorsing “the fiscal extortion of the SAT,” which, according to the firm, includes “double-charging for the same tax and taxes for which none of our companies was ever audited.”
The company insists it is willing to comply with its tax obligations “in accordance with the resolutions of the SAT itself and the rulings of the courts,” as long as they do not involve what it considers improper charges.
“What we will never do is submit to abusive, unconstitutional, and immoral double-charges invented by the authority with a clear political intention: to silence us simply for thinking differently from them, expressing our opinions, and, even if it bothers them, telling the truth to millions of Mexicans,” the document states.
Actions before International Bodies The conglomerate announced it will continue its defense “before multiple instances” and will initiate actions before the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, considering that the rulings of the SCJN “violate fundamental human rights such as the right to a hearing, due process, and legality.”
Additionally, it reported that it is evaluating filing a lawsuit against the SAT for “dolous administrative silence” and for refusing to respond to its requests for dialogue.
