The candidate for magistrate for Mexico City, Arturo César Morales Ramírez, responded to the request from Senator Gerardo Fernández Noroña to withdraw 18 candidacies, including his own, due to various crimes. In a radio interview, Morales Ramírez defended his nomination and explained that the Senate requested the INE to withdraw his candidacy after confusing him with another person who shares his name and is linked to organized crime.
In his statements, Morales Ramírez clarified the physical differences between him and the namesake referenced concerning height and other features mentioned by witnesses. He highlighted that the arrest warrant was issued against an Arturo César Morales Ramírez who acted as a public prosecutor, something he has never been. The candidate emphasized his career in the Federal Judiciary since 1993, distancing himself from the accusation against him for trafficking ephedrine in 2007.
Morales Ramírez explained that the 2.5 tons of ephedrine attributed to him are used to produce ecstasy but reiterated his innocence despite having a valid arrest warrant against him. He pointed out that he was never called to account before the prosecutor's office or a court regarding this case and stressed that "he who owes nothing, fears nothing."
On the other hand, Senator Gerardo Fernández Noroña, along with Sergio Gutiérrez Luna, president of the Chamber of Deputies, requested the INE to cancel the registration of 18 candidates for judges and magistrates due to investigations of sexual abuse, embezzlement, threats, injuries, and organized crime, including Morales Ramírez for alleged links to organized crime in a case from 2007.
