The Electoral Tribunal of the Judiciary of the Federation (TEPJF) approved the candidacy of Job Daniel Wong Ibarra, a member of the Church of the Light of the World, for the position of magistrate in the judicial elections on June 1. With four votes in favor and the reasoned vote of magistrate Janine Otálora, the Superior Chamber of TEPJF determined that being a minister of worship is not a reason to disqualify a candidate through the 'special sanctioning procedure'.
In the public session, it was confirmed that the alleged 'ineligibility' of the candidate derived from his condition as a minister of worship does not constitute an offense that can be analyzed through the special sanctioning procedure. The votes in favor came from the presiding magistrate Mónica Soto and magistrates Felipe de la Mata Pizaña, Alfredo Fuentes, and Reyes Rodríguez Mondragón.
Job Daniel Wong Ibarra aspires to be a magistrate in labor matters in the Third Circuit of Jalisco, where the Church of the Light of the World originated. He has publicly defended Naasón Joaquín García, the former leader of the church convicted of child sexual abuse in the United States. However, he has recently distanced himself from the former religious leader on his social media and in interviews following the start of the judicial campaign phase.
Wong's candidacy was challenged by direct victims of Naasón Joaquín García and the civil organization 'Desensorxs', which also reported three other judicial candidates allegedly related to the church. The complainants accused Wong of acting as a minister of worship in the Church of the Light of the World and stated that he gave a talk on 'evangelization strategies' at an international congress.
The public complaint sought to prevent the candidacies for not meeting the 'good reputation' required by law to run for a judicial position, but was declared 'unfounded' by the Chamber of TEPJF in early April. Other questioned candidates for their defense of Naasón Joaquín García are Madián Sinaí Menchaca Sierra and Betzabeth Almazán Morales in Jalisco, and Cinthia Teniente Mendoza in Guanajuato.
Naasón Joaquín García, leader of the Church of the Light of the World, was arrested in 2019 in possession of child sexual abuse material in California, where he is currently serving his sentence. Despite being incarcerated, Joaquín García remains the leader of the non-Trinitarian church La Luz del Mundo, founded in 1926 by Aarón Joaquín. The church has followers in 60 countries and is considered a significant religious movement in Mexico and internationally.
