Latest news with #CarlosTorres
Reuters
21-05-2025
- Business
- Reuters
BBVA says no need for more government scrutiny of Sabadell bid
MADRID, May 21 (Reuters) - Spanish bank BBVA's ( opens new tab proposed acquisition of smaller rival Sabadell should not be subject to further scrutiny by the government as it would benefit shareholders, clients and businesses, according to BBVA's chairman. Carlos Torres' comments late on Tuesday to radio station Cadena Cope came after the government, which is opposed to the bid, launched a non-binding public consultation on the matter, which analysts say is another sign of political reluctance. Economy minister Carlos Cuerpo has until May 27 to take the deal to the cabinet for a new analysis of the possible effects after Spain's competition watchdog last month approved the proposed deal - which currently values Sabadell at around 15 billion euros ($17 billion) - subject to several remedies. "We believe that the Economy Minister should not submit the operation to the (cabinet) because, far from negatively affecting any element of general interest, the operation is good not just for shareholders - with a very compelling proposal -, but also for clients and companies," Torres said. If the minister refers the deal to the cabinet, the government then has a month to make a final decision whether or not to approve the deal with or without conditions. Torres said that if Cuerpo did not submit the proposed deal to the cabinet, "then we would move quickly to (the bid's) acceptance period, with the markets supervisor needing to previously authorise the takeover prospectus." Under Spanish law, the government cannot stop a bid from being made, but it has the final word on whether a merger goes ahead. ($1 = 0.8884 euros)
Daily Mail
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Report: Why Mexican politician had her visa revoked by Trump
By A Mexican politician and her husband had their United States tourist visas revoked due to an ongoing money laundering investigation linked to a drug cartel, a new report claims. The Justice Department probe into Baja California governor Marina del Pilar and her spouse, Carlos Torres, began last year but did not impact their visa status until the past weekend, according to Mexican journalist Luis Chaparro. In addition to losing their tourist visas, the couple has also allegedly had their Bank of America and Wells Fargo accounts closed in San Diego due to 'suspicious activities,' according to Mexican news outlets Tiempo and Cadena Politica. Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum addressed the allegations during her press briefing at the National Palace in Mexico City on Tuesday and said that Governor del Pilar informed her that they did not have accounts in banking institutions outside of Mexico. 'I want to clarify because yesterday some media reported that there was an account freeze,' Sheinbaum said. 'We spoke with the governor and the governor told us that she does not have accounts abroad. That is information from the governor.' Del Pilar's links to Mexican cartels have been questioned since 2022, when a photo emerged of her embracing alleged Sinaloa Cartel crime figure Emmanuel 'El Botas' Serrano while she was campaigning for mayor three years earlier. Del Pilar's office dismissed the past allegations, saying she's photographed with thousands of constituents and public figures while campaigning and running the major Mexican governments. Her Instagram account has hundreds of glamorous photos and videos with world leaders, from past and current Mexican presidents like Andrés Manuel López Obrador and Claudia Sheinbaum, to international figures like California Governor Gavin Newsom , who visited the construction of a water plant in Tijuana in 2024. There is no suggestion Governor Newsom is connected to del Pilar or any investigation into her activities. has contacted Bank of America and Wells Fargo for comment. Chaparro claimed that del Pilar met with U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Department of Homeland Security officials at a tourism event in the resort town of Rosarito on April 28, 2024, when she was first notified of the investigation. 'Both are being investigated by the United States for money laundering in an investigation involving other Baja California businessmen and officials...' Chaparro said during his YouTube shows 'Pie de Nota'. He added that the US agents told her the investigation was looking into the 'Rusos Cartel' in Mexicali, as well as a network of individuals and businessmen from Baja California allegedly linked to members of organized crime in that region. 'She pleaded with CBP and DHS supervisors to please not make public the actions against her and her husband and to not inform the Mexican consulate to prevent them from being leaked to the media,' Chaparro said on his show the day after del Pilar revealed her visa status. 'The governor requested, as a personal favor, that her actions not be communicated to the Mexican consulate or any other Mexican authority so that the information would not spread.' Del Pilar addressed the visa ban again in a press conference Monday without making any comments over the alleged money laundering investigation or bank account closures, while also not make any reference to her husband or his visa ban. 'I have been included in a consular measure, and therefore today I do not have a visa to enter the United States,' said del Pilar while being flanked by members of her administration. Del Pilar, who served as mayor of the border city of Mexicali from 2019 to 2021 before being elected governor in 2021, downplayed the decision made by President Donald Trump's administration to revoke her travel rights. 'But that does not define me. Because I am not defined by what I have or by the permits granted or withheld. I am defined by my values, my convictions, and the purpose I have embraced since I decided to dedicate my life to public service,' said Del Pilar. 'The fact that the United States' State Department has canceled my visa does not mean that I have done anything wrong. It is an administrative decision, not an accusation. There is no crime. There is no misconduct.' Despite Chaparro's reports that del Pilar is aware of the reason the tourists visas were cancelled, the governor claimed otherwise. 'The reason for this measure has not been communicated, and whatever the reason, I am calm and with a clear conscience that everything will be clarified. And yet, some have tried to turn this situation into a political weapon,' del Pilar said. 'I've never hurt anyone, and I never will. These are values that are pillars of my life and that were instilled in me at home from a very young age,' del Pilar added. 'So don't look for them. There's nothing to find out to damage my image or that of myself. To be honest, I'm surprised by this situation.' The U.S. State Department press office said in a statement to media Monday that 'visa records are confidential under U.S. law; therefore, we cannot comment on individual cases.' Want more stories like this from the Daily Mail? Visit our profile page and hit the follow button above for more of the news you need. Wells Fargo
Daily Mail
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
REAL reason glamorous politician had her visa revoked by Trump
A Mexican politician and her husband had their United States tourist visas revoked due to an ongoing money laundering investigation linked to a drug cartel, a new report claims. The Justice Department probe into Baja California Marina del Pilar and her spouse, Carlos Torres began last year but did not impact their visa status until the past weekend, according to Mexican journalist Luis Chaparro. In addition to losing their tourist visas, the couple has also allegedly had their Bank of America and Wells Fargo accounts closed in San Diego due to 'suspicious activities,' according to Mexican news outlets Tiempo and Cadena Politica. Del Pilar's links to Mexican cartels have been questioned since 2022, when a photo emerged of her embracing alleged Sinaloa Cartel crime figure Emmanuel 'El Botas' Serrano while she was campaigning for mayor three years earlier. Del Pilar's office dismissed the past allegations, saying she's photographed with thousands of constituents and public figures while campaigning and running the major Mexican governments. Her Instagram account has hundreds of glamorous photos and videos with world leaders, from past and current Mexican presidents like Andrés Manuel López Obrador and Claudia Sheinbaum, to international figures like California Governor Gavin Newsom, who visited the construction of a water plant in Tijuana in 2024. There is no suggestion Governor Newsom is connected to del Pilar or any investigation into her activities. has contacted Bank of America and Wells Fargo for comment. Chaparro claimed that del Pilar met with U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Department of Homeland Security officials at a tourism event in the resort town of Rosarito on April 28, 2024, when she was first notified of the investigation. 'Both are being investigated by the United States for money laundering in an investigation involving other Baja California businessmen and officials...' Chaparro said during his YouTube shows 'Pie de Nota'. He added that the US agents told her the investigation was looking into the 'Rusos Cartel' in Mexicali, as well as a network of individuals and businessmen from Baja California allegedly linked to members of organized crime in that region. 'She pleaded with CBP and DHS supervisors to please not make public the actions against her and her husband and to not inform the Mexican consulate to prevent them from being leaked to the media,' Chaparro said on his show the day after del Pilar revealed her visa status. 'The governor requested, as a personal favor, that her actions not be communicated to the Mexican consulate or any other Mexican authority so that the information would not spread.' Del Pilar addressed the visa ban again in a press conference Monday without making any comments over the alleged money laundering investigation or bank account closures, while also not make any reference to her husband or his visa ban. 'I have been included in a consular measure, and therefore today I do not have a visa to enter the United States,' said del Pilar while being flanked by members of her administration. Del Pilar, who served as mayor of the border city of Mexicali from 2019 to 2021 before being elected governor in 2021, downplayed the decision made by President Donald Trump's administration to revoke her travel rights. 'But that does not define me. Because I am not defined by what I have or by the permits granted or withheld. I am defined by my values, my convictions, and the purpose I have embraced since I decided to dedicate my life to public service,' said Del Pilar. 'The fact that the United States' State Department has canceled my visa does not mean that I have done anything wrong. It is an administrative decision, not an accusation. There is no crime. There is no misconduct.' Despite Chaparro's reports that del Pilar is aware of the reason the tourists visas were cancelled, the governor claimed otherwise. 'The reason for this measure has not been communicated, and whatever the reason, I am calm and with a clear conscience that everything will be clarified. And yet, some have tried to turn this situation into a political weapon,' del Pilar said. 'I've never hurt anyone, and I never will. These are values that are pillars of my life and that were instilled in me at home from a very young age,' del Pilar added. 'So don't look for them. There's nothing to find out to damage my image or that of myself. To be honest, I'm surprised by this situation.' The U.S. State Department press office said in a statement to media Monday that 'visa records are confidential under U.S. law; therefore, we cannot comment on individual cases.'
Daily Mail
12-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Another world leader stunned to discover Trump has REVOKED visas for her and her husband
A second world leader has been notified that President Donald Trump 's administration revoked her and her husband's tourist visas. Marina del Pilar Avila, the governor of Mexico 's Baja California state, announced on Sunday that she and her husband, Carlos Torres, had been informed of the United States' consular measure. She did not provide any reason for the revocation in her X post, but Torres wrote on Facebook Saturday that it 'does not represent an accusation, investigation or formal incident by any authority, neither in Mexico nor in the United States.' Torres, who serves as the coordinator of special projects within the Baja California state administration and for the city of Tijuana, also claimed that the revocation is 'a measure that, as is with many people in similar contexts, responds to internal arrangements of the State Department. 'Currently, the application of these administrative criteria has become increasingly common and like so many others, I am included in that universe,' Torres told his followers. He went on to note that he has already contacted an international immigration lawyer 'who is evaluating the submission of a motion to reopen or reconsider the decisions or begin the process for a new visa application, in strict adherence to official channels.' 'I make this information public with responsibility and transparency, not only to avoid speculation, but also to limit political opponents' misuse of this situation,' Torres wrote, adding: 'Believe me: these are people without limits or scruples, willing to turn any fact into slander if they think it will give them an advantage.' 'Throughout my public life, I have acted out of respect for the law and [am] fully aware of the commitment I serve,' Torres concluded as he vowed that the situation 'will be handled with seriousness and confidence in legal procedures.' Pilar Avila also stood by her man in her post on X, saying he 'has always acted with integrity, dedication and a deep commitment to Baja California. 'My support for him isn't just personal, it's moral and political,' she wrote. 'Because I know who he is and because he has always stood up and taken responsibility for things that aren't his.' She also noted that 'this situation is taking place in a complex binational context that requires my composure and prudence.' Still, the Baja California governor said she has full confidence 'that the situation will be satisfactorily clarified for both of us.' The dramatic move to revoke her and her husband's visas comes just weeks after Pilar Avila took a trip to San Diego to promote tourism in Mexico, according to KUSI. It now remains unclear what may have provoked the US State Department to revoke their visas. However, the move comes as the Trump administration cracks down on who can obtain visas. In March, Secretary of State Marco Rubio sent diplomats overseas a directive to scrutinize the social media content of any visa applicant in an effort to bar those suspected of criticizing the US or Israel from entering the country, according to the New York Times. His order specifically stated that applicants can be denied visas if their behavior or actions show they bear 'a hostile attitude toward US citizens or US culture (including government, institutions or founding principles).' Then on April 30, Rubio announced he was implementing a 'one-strike' policy for all temporary visa holders in a document marking Trump's first 100 days in office. He declared that 'a visa is a privilege, not a right,' and noted that under the Immigration and Nationality act, any noncitizen who 'endorses or espouses terrorist activity or persuades others to endorse or espouse terrorist activity or support a terrorist organization' is not welcome into the country. 'There is now a one-strike policy: Catch and Revoke,' Rubio wrote. 'Whenever the government catches non-US citizens breaking our laws, we will take action to revoke their status. 'The time of contemptuously taking advantage of our nation's generosity ends,' he concluded.
Yahoo
11-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Governor of Mexican state says the US withdrew tourist visas from her and her husband
The governor of the Mexican state of Baja California, which borders the US, said on social media Sunday that the United States withdrew tourist visas from her and her husband. Marina del Pilar Ávila, from the ruling Morena party, did not say why her visa was withdrawn. A spokesperson for the US Embassy said that visa records are confidential and that the details of individual cases cannot be discussed. Baja California borders California and day-to-day commercial ties between the two states run deep. 'I fully trust that the situation will be satisfactorily clarified for both of us,' Ávila said on X. Her husband, Carlos Torres Torres, who is an active member of Morena, said his 'conscience is clear,' in a statement on Facebook on Saturday. 'This proceeding does not represent a formal accusation, investigation or indictment by any authority in Mexico or the United States,' he added.
