Mexico says businessman Carlos Ahumada arrested in Argentina

Mexican federal prosecutors said Friday that authorities in Argentina acting on Mexico's request have detained Mexican-Argentine businessman Carlos Ahumada, who was tied to political scandals a decade ago and is sought on tax evasion charges.

Ahumada's links to a bribery scandal, iknown as the V'ideoescándalos' case, and outstanding tax fraud charges led to his detention at Jorge Newbery airport in Buenos Aires, at the request of the Mexican authorities. He was carrying Mexican pesos and dollars.

The owner of the Qartz construction group was the subject of an Interpol red notice.

Mexico's prosecutors' office alleged that Ahumada failed to pay income taxes totaling about 1,472,236 Mexican pesos (US$75,000 at today's exchange rate). It said the charges date back to 2016 and were re-opened by the current administration.

Ahumada was caught on video in 2004 handing large amounts of cash to people linked to Mexico's current president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who took office December 1. The president, commonly known as AMLO, was head of the Mexico City government at the time.

- TIMES/AFP/AP