Grupo Caliente claims to be victim of political persecution

The Mexican casino company says actions taken against it by the Baja California government are an attempt to harm its owner’s image.

Mexico.- The Mexican casino industry was shaken in the past weeks after Grupo Caliente was targeted in a number of enforcement actions. The casino operator now claims that it’s the victim of a political operation made as an attack on its owner Jorge Hank Rhon.

Authorities confiscated about 208 slot machines from Aguas Calientes Casino and also shut down machines at two of the Ensenada group‘s venues.

The first measure was taken due to a lack of importation documents, but the casino insists that it presented documents that provde national fabrication. The second issue involves an alleged debt for the exploitation rights of the slot machines.

What could be behind Jorge Hank Rhon‘s political “persecution”?

Ramón Serrano and Marco Milán, the lawyers representing Grupo Caliente, claimed during a press conference that the actions taken by the California government are part of a smear campaign against Hank Rohn.

According to them, his candidature to become Baja California’s governor, representing Partido Encuentro Solidario (pes), is the cause.

They said: “Unfortunately, despite the fact that the casino showed the documents on time and showed that the machines are on a lease, authorities are opening a case on the employee who received the visit from them.

“The SAT is also aware of all the taxes that are being paid”, the lawyers declared, adding that the SAT knows how many machines the group owns and their legality.

They said: “The federal SAT, which has the faculty to verify everything, has never stopped us because they know everything, is in order, it was the State SAT (of Baja California) that ended up verifying that the machines were not OK.”

Millán warned: “What we are witnessing is a political terrorism scheme.”