Kidnapped Mexican politician released 'after family pay $20million ransom'
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'Safe': Former Mexican presidential candidate Diego Fernandez de Cevallos, shown here in 2009, is said to have been released by his kidnappers
Diego Fernandez de Cevallos, a prominent Mexican politician and former presidential candidate who was kidnapped in May, has been released.
Daily newspaper El Universal, quoting members of the politician's family, said Fernandez, who belongs to President Felipe Calderon's ruling party, was released on Friday night.
According to the daily, the family paid a ransom of around $20 million.
'Everything is fine, he is OK and everything came out well,' the family was quoted as saying.
Officials at the Attorney General's office were not immediately available for comment.
Cigar-chomping Fernandez, a 69-year-old lawyer known for his outspoken personality, was abducted in central Mexico more than six months ago as he arrived at his ranch late at night.
His car was found with some of his belongings inside and blood on a pair of scissors thrown on the ground nearby.
In the following months, his captors released pictures to the media of a blindfolded, bearded man who greatly resembled Fernandez in an apparent move to pressure the politician's family to pay for his release.
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ShareKidnapping of corporate executives, public officials and ordinary citizens is rife in Mexico, which is in the grip of a deadly fight against drug traffickers and organized crime gangs.
Drug gang violence has killed some 31,000 people since Calderon's term began in December 2006.
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