This week, the governor of neighboring Sonora, Mexico, said a major solar plantwill be built on land donated by a wealthy businessman who has been linked to a recent controversy involving the president’s son.
Gov. Alfonso Durazo, a member of the president’s Morena party, confirmed that Grupo Vidanta, owned by Daniel Chávez Morán, donated nearly 5,000 acres of land near Puerto Peñasco for the solar project.
Asked about the donation during a press conference, Durazo said people need to get used to seeing "socially responsible" companies assisting with government projects, helping to fill the gap between budgetary limits and the president's plans for major projects. He added that there is no conflict of interest with the donation because Chávez’s business isn’t involved constructing or operating the solar plant.
But the wealthy businessman's contributions have come under scrutiny amid a recent controversy that emerged when reporting revealed the eldest son of President Andrés Manuel López Obrador works for a Texas-based company owned by Chávez's son.
Chávez is a benefactor and business adviser to the president, and was named honorary supervisor of another major project — the Mayan Train. The president insists the businessman is helping the government without asking anything in return.