The Government of Tamaulipas and the Morena party distanced themselves from the involvement of lawyer Juan Manuel Penilla with their respective institutions, following accusations from the PAN members Jorge Triana and Federico Döring. They pointed out Penilla after his name appeared in the letter presented by the defense of Ismael 'El Mayo' Zambada before the Mexican consulate in New York.
The Government of Tamaulipas clarified that Penilla is not part of its team nor is he an honorary advisor to the administration of Américo Villarreal, and showed a screenshot of the Official Newspaper dated January 10, 2024, where his appointment was annulled according to the new Organic Law of Public Administration. They disassociated themselves from any misuse of the document that circulated on social media.
For her part, the national president of Morena, Luisa María Alcalde, denied that Penilla had participated in the party's campaign during the 2024 elections. She assured that after a thorough review of their databases, there was no record of Penilla Rodríguez having been a legal advisor in that campaign, reaffirming the party's commitment to truth and transparency.
On another note, the defense of Ismael 'El Mayo' Zambada requested the intervention of Claudia Sheinbaum's government to achieve his repatriation to Mexico. They allege that he was illegally taken to the United States and that the extradition treaty between the two countries was not respected, which could lead to him facing the death penalty. Sheinbaum announced that they would evaluate the request and that the Attorney General of the Republic would provide a report on this on February 25.
In the document presented, 'El Mayo' identifies Frank Pérez as his only lawyer in the United States, and lawyers Juan Pablo Penilla Rodríguez and Juan Manuel Delgado González as his legal advisors in Mexico. Döring and Triana mentioned that in 2023, Morena deputies took Penilla to the Chamber of Deputies to recognize his career as a jurist.
