Magnate Ricardo Salinas Pliego has suffered another setback in Mexican courts, as a federal judge has rejected a request for a provisional suspension to unfreeze the accounts of his casino, Ganador Azteca, a subsidiary of TV Azteca. The accounts were frozen by authorities for alleged money laundering.
“Regarding the provisional suspension: denied,” ruled Judge Luz María Flores Alva, head of the Third District Court for Administrative Matters in Mexico City, according to court records consulted by SinEmbargo.
Furthermore, the judge set January 26, 2026, for the constitutional hearing, where the injunction filed by Ganador Azteca, Sociedad Anónima Promotora de Inversión, will be reviewed.
A couple of weeks ago, the Ministry of the Interior (Segob) announced that the General Directorate of Games and Lotteries had suspended operations at 13 casinos listed by the Financial Intelligence Unit (UIF) to freeze their accounts. Some of these casinos are owned by magnate Ricardo Salinas Pliego. This action followed an investigation by the Ministry of Finance and Public Credit (SHCP), in conjunction with the Security Cabinet, which revealed cash transactions at these establishments, international financial flows, and the use of unsupervised digital platforms. Grupo Salinas asserted that this constitutes “state persecution.”
