Ex-Pemex chief extradited to Mexico over corruption charges

Mexico City, July 17 (IANS) Former director of Mexico's state-run oil company Petroleos Mexicanos (Pemex), Emilio Lozoya, has extradited from Spain over corruption charges, with an initial court hearing set for Friday.Lozoya, 45, who headed Pemex from 2012-2016 during the administration of former President Enrique Pena Nieto, has been charged with bribery and money laundering, but he has denied any wrongdoing, reports Xinhua news agency.He was arrested in the Spanish city of Malaga in February.Mexican law demands he make an initial statement to a judge once he enters Mexico.President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador told a news conference on Thursday he believes Lozoya's extradition will "help purify public life, to clean up corruption in the country".
--IANS ksk/