The president of Mexico, Claudia Sheinbaum, denied any relationship with Juan Pablo Penilla, lawyer for 'El Mayo' Zambada, who requested his repatriation to Mexico. In a press conference, Sheinbaum declared that she did not know Penilla and stated that she does not establish relationships of complicity with anyone.
Regarding an alleged photograph in which she appears alongside Penilla, Sheinbaum clarified that it was possibly taken during the campaign for the 2024 elections. The president emphasized the importance of defending an honest and transparent national project.
For her part, Luisa María Alcalde, national leader of Morena, denied that Juan Pablo Penilla had been hired as an advisor for the 2024 electoral campaigns. After a thorough review of the party's databases, Alcalde assured that there is no record of Penilla's participation in the legal advisory of the Morena campaign.
The name of Juan Pablo Penilla appeared in a letter in which Ismael 'El Mayo' Zambada requested his repatriation to Sheinbaum, alleging a kidnapping followed by an illegal extradition to the United States. In the document, Penilla was referred to as Zambada's 'legal advisor' and provided his email as a means of contact.
In another turn of events, Sergio Gutiérrez Luna, president of the Board of Directors of the Chamber of Deputies, accused the National Action Party of granting Juan Pablo Penilla the distinction of 'Ambassador of Peace,' claiming that this represented an act of reward.
The National Action Party responded by indicating that Penilla had been appointed an advisor in the government of Américo Villarreal, governor of Tamaulipas, and that he had been photographed with Claudia Sheinbaum during the electoral campaign. However, the Tamaulipas government clarified that Penilla was not a public servant nor an advisor to the State Executive, nullifying the document that designated him as such.
Sheinbaum commented that if the Attorney General's Office has ongoing investigations into 'El Mayo' Zambada, they must be carried out to the fullest consequences. Regarding Penilla, the president reiterated that it was important to clarify the situation given the significance of his figure in these events.
