Ex-Pemex Director’s Accountant Arrested for Tax Fraud in Mexico

Jorge Yáñez Polo, the former personal accountant of Emilio Lozoya Austin, ex-director of Petróleos Mexicanos (Pemex), was arrested Saturday in Querétaro, Mexico, on charges of tax fraud, the Fiscalía General de la República (FGR) announced.

The FGR alleges Yáñez Polo, through his firm Jorge Yáñez y Cía. S.C., evaded over 28 million pesos (approximately $1.6 million USD) in taxes between 2014 and 2018, during the administration of former President Enrique Peña Nieto. The charges relate to allegedly underreporting income on annual tax returns for the Impuesto Sobre la Renta (ISR), or Income Tax.

Yáñez Polo is described as a key figure in the financial affairs of Lozoya and his wife, Marielle Helene Eckes, managing their personal finances and those of their companies. According to the FGR, he was a trusted confidant of the couple.

The arrest comes as part of a broader investigation into Lozoya, who previously served as director of Pemex and has been implicated in multiple corruption scandals, including the Odebrecht bribery case and allegations related to the Agronitrogenados fertilizer plant deal. Yáñez Polo also served as a representative of Yacani, a company owned by Eckes, which has been linked to the alleged triangulation of funds in both the Odebrecht and Altos Hornos de México (AHMS) cases.

Authorities indicate Yáñez Polo is a shareholder in 19 companies, holding positions as both a supervisory body member and legal representative in at least one. He has been transferred to Mexico City and is awaiting a hearing before a control judge at the Reclusorio Oriente prison to determine his legal status.

The FGR stated the arrest was carried out with the collaboration of the Security Cabinet of the Mexican Government and the Fiscalía Especial en Investigación de Delitos Fiscales y del Sistema Financiero.