Ricardo Salinas Pliego, one of Mexico's wealthiest individuals, transformed a state TV station into TV Azteca, now the country's second-largest network. He forged close ties with successive presidents, and his conglomerate, Grupo Salinas, secured hundreds of federal contracts. However, as his tax dispute with the government intensifies, President Claudia Sheinbaum has ordered a review of some contracts and suggested their possible cancellation. The Supreme Court of Mexico unanimously upheld tax claims against Salinas's conglomerate, amounting to $2.5 billion. For Sheinbaum, Salinas is a tax evader and a right-wing agitator, while he presents himself as an anti-corruption crusader. The dispute has erupted into a high-stakes legal and political battle, involving a Supreme Court ruling, relentless media coverage, and a test of Sheinbaum's ability to confront Mexico's elite. Salinas is accused of financing anti-government protests, which he denies, and has publicly taunted Sheinbaum and her supporters. This conflict is part of Sheinbaum's broader fiscal offensive to fund social programs for the country's poorest citizens. The confrontation has also strained the business community's uneasy alliance with the leftist president.
