MXFormer Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto was photographed at a Jewish wedding in Portofino, Italy, alongside Israeli businessman Avishai Neriah. This encounter revived past controversies involving Neriah, who has been linked to business dealings in Mexico since around 2000. Neriah and his associate Uri Ansbacher were involved in security equipment contracts and facilitated Israeli companies entering the Mexican market, including government contracts. In 2014, Neriah was named honorary consul of Mexico in Haifa, Israel, during Peña Nieto’s presidency. In 2025, an investigation by the Israeli newspaper TheMarker alleged that Neriah and Ansbacher spent $25 million between 2012 and 2018 to secure Mexican government contracts, including those related to the Pegasus spyware developed by the Israeli firm NSO Group. Peña Nieto denied these claims, calling them 'completely false.'
Bias read (Center): The article presents factual information about past business relationships and allegations without overtly favoring either side. It includes Peña Nieto's denial of the claims and does not take a clear stance on their validity.
