Salinas Pliego's Empire on The Brink: The Billionaire Who Cried Persecution

Actual information

Ricardo Salinas Pliego, one of Mexico’s richest men, is waging what looks less like a legal defense and more like a desperate last stand. Facing tax liabilities of up to 74 billion pesos, the magnate behind Grupo Salinas and TV Azteca has turned to a familiar script: portraying himself as the victim of political persecution. Yet beneath the bluster lies a stark reality—this is not persecution, but the inevitable reckoning of decades of unpaid obligations.

Salinas’s strategy has been one of obstruction and delay. He has filed wave after wave of legal appeals—more than fifty in recent months—to stall rulings by the Supreme Court. This endless litigation buys him time, but it does not change the fact that the courts have consistently ruled against him. Grupo Elektra has been ordered to pay billions, and TV Azteca has already been condemned to cover years of unpaid taxes. The pattern is unmistakable: the law is catching up to him, no matter how loudly he protests.

The billionaire insists he wants to pay “what is correct,” but that phrase is nothing more than a smokescreen. What he really means is paying a fraction of the amount owed, while dismissing the rest as extortion. By spinning a tale of persecution, Salinas seeks to transform a fiscal dispute into a political battle, positioning himself as a defender of free enterprise under siege. It is a calculated performance, designed to win public sympathy while he fights to preserve an empire built on leverage, privilege, and avoidance.

What makes his claim even less credible is timing. His problems began not under a hostile government, but under one considered friendly. Salinas was once part of the presidential advisory circle, enjoying access and influence. For him to now cry political victimhood is not only ironic, it is hollow. The truth is that he thrived under protection for years, and only now, when the fiscal authorities are closing in, does he reach for the shield of persecution.

The numbers reveal why he is desperate. His personal fortune has already collapsed by more than half in the past year, and the 74 billion pesos demanded by the SAT represents an existential threat. Paying such a sum would strip him of much of what remains, potentially reducing him from billionaire status to insolvency. Bankruptcy is no longer a distant possibility; it is the very reason behind his theatrics.

Salinas Pliego is not a martyr of political oppression. He is a businessman cornered by the weight of his own unpaid debts, fighting to delay the inevitable. His story is not of persecution but of accountability. And if the courts continue on their current trajectory, the empire he built on defiance may soon collapse under the crushing burden of taxes long overdue.

Sources:

Once Noticias – Salinas Pliego aún busca protección de la SCJN (26 Aug 2025) - https://oncenoticias.digital/nacional/salinas-pliego-aun-busca-proteccion-de-la-scjn/511213/

El Soberano – Salinas Pliego demanda a AMLO para evadir pago de 70 mil millones (26 Aug 2025) - https://elsoberano.mx/2025/08/25/salinas-pliego-demanda-a-amlo-para-evadir-pago-de-70-mil-millones/

AS México – Salinas Pliego demanda a AMLO y asegura que sí quiere pagar impuestos “pero lo correcto” (25 Aug 2025) - https://mexico.as.com/actualidad/salinas-pliego-demanda-a-amlo-y-asegura-que-si-quiere-pagar-impuestos-pero-lo-correcto-n/

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