Former Chihuahua governor César Duarte arrested for embezzlement

The long-running ineligible troubles of a erstwhile politician of the bluish borderline authorities of Chihuahua person intensified.

César Duarte was detained connected Monday connected charges related to the usage of ill-gotten resources, the Federal Attorney General’s Office (FGR) said, noting that a warrant for his apprehension was issued successful May 2024.

Duarte served arsenic the politician of Chihuahua for the PRI enactment betwixt 2010 and 2016. (Nacho Ruiz/Cuartoscuro)

Duarte, Institutional Revolutionary Party politician of Chihuahua betwixt 2010 and 2016 and a national and authorities lawmaker earlier that, was arrested successful Chihuahua metropolis and subsequently transferred to the Altiplano national situation successful México state, wherever helium was scheduled to look an archetypal proceeding connected Tuesday.

He was taken into custody portion awaiting proceedings connected abstracted embezzlement and transgression relation charges that are being prosecuted by the Chihuahua Attorney General’s Office, according to the FGR.

The FGR said successful a connection that the ex-governor was arrested connected Monday “for his probable work successful the transgression of operations with resources of illicit origin.”

It is the archetypal national transgression of which Duarte has been formally accused.

The Federal Attorney General’s Office, present led by caller Attorney General Ernestina Godoy, pointed to Duarte’s “probable involution arsenic a nationalist servant successful Chihuahua successful a wealth laundering scheme, successful which helium tried to fell resources of illicit root diverted from authorities coffers, utilizing the Mexican fiscal strategy for that purpose.”

The apprehension of the ex-governor came much than 3 years aft helium was extradited to Mexico from the United States. Duarte was detained successful Miami, Florida, successful July 2020 connected corruption charges. He had been moving astatine an car parts concern successful that city.

César Duarte was antecedently extradited to Mexico from the United States successful 2020. (Cuartoscuro)

After his extradition, Duarte was held astatine a situation successful Chihuahua until helium was released pending proceedings successful June 2024.

The FGR said that connected Oct. 4, 2024, a petition was submitted to the United States authorities for authorization to prosecute Duarte “for a transgression chiseled to those of embezzlement and transgression association.”

It said that the U.S. — which approved Duarte’s extradition to look embezzlement and transgression relation charges successful Chihuahua —  granted that authorization connected Dec. 4, 1 twelvemonth and 2 months aft the petition was submitted. Duarte’s apprehension came conscionable 4 days aft the U.S. authorization.

The Reforma paper reported that “it’s the 3rd clip that the United States authorizes Mexico to initiate transgression proceedings … [against] Duarte, though connected the 2 erstwhile occasions the accusations were nether communal [state] jurisdiction.”

The FGR noted that Duarte “is considered innocent” until proven otherwise.

Triple jeopardy?

Among Duarte’s alleged crimes is the operation of amerciable dams to irrigate his ranch successful Chihuahua — making him a poster kid for illicit h2o hoarding during caller legislature debates of Mexico’s nationalist h2o law. (Daniel Agosto/Cuartoscuro)

Duarte’s lawyer, Juan Carlos Mendoza, asserted connected Tuesday that his lawsuit was arrested connected the aforesaid charges that are being prosecuted by the Chihuahua Attorney General’s Office.

He claimed that the prosecution of Duarte connected what the FGR called a “distinct” national complaint amounts to “triple jeopardy.”

Mendoza besides asserted that Godoy “is being misinformed” astir his client’s ineligible situation.

The communal jurisdiction charges Duarte faces are related to the alleged embezzlement of 96.6 cardinal pesos (US $5.3 cardinal astatine today’s speech rate) from the Chihuahua authorities betwixt 2011 and 2014.

“How is it imaginable that he’s present being arrested for events that are already being prosecuted present successful Chihuahua,” Mendoza said, adding that a concern of “triple jeopardy” is “something” that helium has ne'er seen before.

Duarte is among a ample radical of erstwhile governors of Mexican states who person been accused of — and successful assorted cases convicted of — corruption. They include Javier Duarte of Veracruz, Roberto Borge of Quintana Roo and Roberto Sandoval of Nayarit.

With reports from Milenio, El Universal, Reforma, Aristegui Noticias and El Financiero