“I have not received any benefits from this government and I have given benefits,” stated the Mexican tycoon.
Mexican magnate Carlos Slim, one of the richest men in the world, assured on Monday (02/12/2024) that he has not benefited from the government of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador and stressed that Telmex “is no longer a business” because it has been years “in the red.”
“Telmex is no longer a business. (…) It has been in the red for 10 years,” said Slim, owner of a fortune valued at more than 100 billion dollars, during an unusual press conference at the headquarters. of the Inbursa Financial Group in Mexico City .
However, he indicated that he did not plan to sell the telecommunications company since it must be a Mexican company.
“I already told my children that they cannot sell it (Telmex); it is not a business anymore, but we are not going to sell it,” he added in his appearance lasting more than three hours, when commenting on one of his great business milestones. when it acquired the telephone giant in 1990.
Slim, 84 years old, took the opportunity to offer an explanation of his business career from 1960 to the present.
During question time, the businessman rejected accusations of favoritism on the part of the López Obrador government.
“I have not received benefits from this government and I have given benefits,” Slim said, highlighting that, for example, he has barely carried out public works in the current six-year term compared to how he participated in the sector in previous governments.
However, he acknowledged his good personal relationship with the current president, who will leave the presidency of Mexico in October of this year at the end of his six-year term.
“Now, with the Mayan Train, I meet more with the president. Three or four hours, (…) but we have our differences,” he responded in relation to being the businessman who has had the most meetings with the president.
Slim indicated that his infrastructure company only participates in one of the seven sections of the Mayan Train, one of López Obrador’s main works that seeks to promote economic development in southeastern Mexico.
On the other hand, Slim underlined the importance of “nearshoring” or business relocation, a phenomenon that represents a great opportunity for Mexico due to its proximity to the US market, but which requires a higher level of investment by both the public and private sectors in the country.
San Miguel Times
Newsroom
