This weekend, Mexican politics was shaken by new investigations involving prominent leaders, including the former governor of Michoacán, Silvano Aureoles. Four close collaborators of the former Michoacan governor were arrested on Saturday, while Aureoles himself faces an arrest warrant. After a hearing on Sunday, the former officials received preventive detention at Reclusorio Norte. Among those detained are Carlos Maldonado Mendoza, Mario Delgado Murillo, Elizabeth Villegas Pineda, and Antonio Bernal Bustamante, who face charges of embezzlement, operations with illicit origin resources, organized crime association, and fraudulent administration.
Silvano Aureoles, who is also a former presidential aspirant for the PRD, is being investigated for alleged fraud related to the construction, leasing, and purchase of seven police barracks for Michoacán. He is accused of having built the barracks at a high cost using low-quality materials, in addition to having made use of luxurious private areas in these facilities. Meanwhile, other former governors like Francisco Cabeza de Vaca, Javier Corral, Jaime Rodríguez, and Mauricio Toledo face accusations ranging from links to organized crime to illicit enrichment and diversion of resources.
Cabeza de Vaca, former governor of Tamaulipas, is accused of tax fraud, money laundering, and alleged links to drug trafficking, owning companies supposedly related to the Sinaloa Cartel. On the other hand, Corral, former governor of Chihuahua, is accused of illicit enrichment and tax fraud. In the case of “El Bronco,” alias of Jaime Rodríguez Calderón, he is being investigated for using illicit resources during his presidential campaign and for illicit enrichment during his tenure as governor. Mauricio Toledo, former mayor of Coyoacán, faces charges of illicit enrichment and is a fugitive in Chile, evading Mexican authorities who are requesting his extradition.
