The leftist president, who took office in 2018 promising to break with “neoliberalism,” on Monday described the 81-year-old magnate as a “friend” and “a good businessman who contributes to the development of the country.”
The president has a long-standing relationship with the tycoon, who with his family was worth an estimated $83.8 billion as of Monday, according to the Forbes magazine website. The businessman, who at one time was the world’s richest man, promised to pay for the reconstruction in full. He alleged that the flagship project of his predecessor Enrique Pena Nieto was riddled with corruption, leaving Slim’s consortium facing scrutiny for its role in the work.
“It’s true that Telmex was handed to Carlos Slim by Carlos Salinas,” said Jesus Ramirez, spokesman for Lopez Obrador.Lopez Obrador also has good relationships with other private sector figures, such as Larry Fink, chief executive of BlackRock, the world’s largest asset management firm, Ramirez said.