Ahumada was arrested in Cuba on 30 March

Carlos Ahumada, arrested in Cuba last month at Mexico's request, was put on a charter flight to Mexico City, Cuban officials said.

Mr Ahumada has been on the run since videos appeared in which he was shown allegedly giving bribes to a politician close to the mayor of Mexico City.

Mexico is currently investigating the fraud allegations against Mr Ahumada.

The Mexican government has been pressing for his extradition for questioning in the corruption case involving several some $3m in missing public funds.

On Wednesday, Havana said it deported Mr Ahumada - who is of Argentine origin - without receiving an extradition request from Mexico.

"Cuba does not in any way want to meddle in the international matters of Mexico. We have been mixed up without reason in this scandal," a Cuban Foreign Ministry statement said.

"The accused did not commit any specific crime in Cuba... but could have caused serious damage to our country," the statement added.

The scandal has undermined the popularity of the Mexico City mayor, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who is seen as the early front-runner for the 2006 presidential election from the Party of the Democratic Revolution, correspondents say.