Mexican gov’t peeved at Forbes wealth list

Forbes Magazine published this week its annual list of the world’s wealthiest people. Mexican telecom magnate Carlos Slim may have lost a sizeable chunk of his fortune ($25 billion down from $60 billion) due to the global recession. Yet Slim was placed at third on the Forbes list behind Bill Gates and Warren Buffet.

Aside from slim another notable Mexican was placed on the Forbes list: drug capo Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman. The head of the Sinaloa drug cartel has en estimated net worth of $1 billion, making him the world’s 701st wealthiest person said Forbes.

Mexico’s government is desperately trying to improve the country’s image in light of rampant drug-related violence. Thus, you can imagine the reaction by senior officials to Guzman on the Forbes list:

President Felipe Calderon said Thursday that "magazines are not only attacking and lying about the situation in Mexico but are also praising criminals."
Mexico's Attorney General Eduardo Medina Mora said Forbes is defending crime by "comparing the deplorable activity of a criminal wanted in Mexico and abroad with that of honest businessmen."

There’s a Spanish-language saying: no se puede tapar al sol con un dedo. (Rough translation – “You can’t block the sun by holding up a finger to it”). Calderon and Medina Mora should’ve remembered that cliché.

Image- CNN (1993 photo of Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman.)
Online Sources- BBC News, forbes.com, AP, The Latin Americanist, Bloomberg