Meet the Reclusive $30 Billion Tycoon in the Mexican President’s Crosshairs
- Mexico billionaire German Larrea was close to buying Citi unit
- President Lopez Obrador seized part of his freight railway
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German Larrea Mota Velasco, the elusive billionaire who inherited and expanded a mining fortune, is suddenly Exhibit A for the difficulties of doing business in Mexico under an unpredictable president.
Larrea, 69, was dealt a severe blow after the government seized a section of his freight railway last week, ultimately prompting him to scrap a bid to buy one of the country’s biggest banks from Citigroup Inc. His view was that the acquisition would just be too risky given President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador’s penchant for interfering in business matters, according to people with knowledge of the decision who asked not to be identified.