Mexican court rolls back sanction for firm owned by son of president's ally

MEXICO CITY: A Mexican court has lifted a sanction against a company owned by the son of a close ally of the president, opening the door for the company to resume business with public entities, according to a notice in the government's official gazette on Monday.

The Public Administration Ministry (SFP) in August had banned Cyber Robotics Solutions from receiving any new government contracts for 21 months, arguing that the company had provided false information in a deal with the Social Security Institute.

The SFP had also banned Cyber Robotics from public works in July, after finding it had over-charged for ventilators amid the coronavirus pandemic, but a court suspended the order after the company appealed.

Cyber Robotics is owned by Leon Manuel Bartlett, son of Manuel Bartlett, who heads national electricity company CFE.

The elder Bartlett, an influential aide of President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, last year was subject to an ethics probe relating to his wealth and potential conflicts of interest.

The SFP-led investigation exonerated him of any wrongdoing.

After an appeal from Cyber Robotics over the 21-month disqualification, an administrative court "resolved to grant, definitively, the preventive measure requested by the company," the government notice said.

The court also lifted a fine, which the SFP had set at 887,145 pesos ($44,424). The notice did not detail the court's rationale for the decision.