Eugenio Javier Maiz Domene, a businessman who owns Next Energy and who is linked to a network of companies in Nuevo León and Chihuahua, was arrested this Tuesday on charges linked to alleged fraud and sent to the Social Reintegration Center for Men (Cereso) in Aguascalientes, according to a publication made by Reforma.
Maiz Domene would also be facing other charges for threats and bribery.
It is currently already under investigation for alleged fraud related to the energy efficiency contract signed in 2019 that was carried out between the Municipality of Aguascalientes and Next Energy.
The complaint was filed at the beginning of December in Reynosa, Tamaulipas, for the alleged crime of fraud, related to a contract that committed long-term public resources and that was altered on several occasions, despite the fact that the company did not comply with the delivery of the agreed service.
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Maiz Domene would have tried to bribe authorities
Prior to formally entering the penitentiary center, Maiz Domene remained under police guard in a hospital after citing health problems. During that period, she was not released, although she was not held in prison either.
However, sources indicated that after receiving medical attention and during his transfer to Cereso, the businessman tried to bribe elements of the state police by offering 1,500 pesos each and subsequently threatened them, the accusation indicates.
As a result of these events, the authorities opened a digital folder for the alleged crimes of bribery and threats against two agents of the State Public Security Secretariat.
Next Energy fraud case dates back to 2019
The initial hearing was held virtually on Saturday, January 17, behind closed doors, and was presided over by criminal judge Héctor Alejandro Andrade Alvarado. The continuation of the procedure was set for January 21.
Regarding fraud, the origin of the case dates back to March 2019, when the Aguascalientes City Council awarded the company Next Energy a contract for the development of photovoltaic infrastructure, with an approximate value of 7.8 billion pesos, to be covered within a period of 30 years.
Later, in June 2020, the agreement was modified and the total amount, including financial charges, increased to more than 20,000 million pesos, despite the fact that the company did not supply electricity to the municipality, according to official documents. The case was reported since 2022 before the Aguascalientes Prosecutor’s Office.
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