The former governor of Veracruz, Javier Duarte de Ochoa, will have to wait longer to find out if he is granted conditional release.
And Angela Zamorano Herrera, Criminal Execution Judge of the Federal Criminal Justice Center of the Reclusorio Norte, postponed the continuation of the proceedings on his future freedom until November 19.
Duarte de Ochoa and his defense appeared this Tuesday in a procedure lasting more than ten hours in which five witnesses appeared presented by the Veracruz native’s lawyers to prove his good conduct, and one is missing, the director of the North Prison, Luis Ángel Hernández.
The above, given that there are still six witnesses from the FGR and one from the defense to appear regarding their conduct inside the North Prison.
What did Javier Duarte de Ochoa do?
Javier Duarte de Ochoa, who served as governor of the state of Veracruz between 2010 and 2016, was accused and later convicted of various crimes related to corruption, embezzlement of public resources and money laundering.
After pleading guilty, he received a nine-year prison sentence. In 2016 he fled from justice and was declared a fugitive, but authorities arrested him in Guatemala in April 2017 and extradited him to Mexico in July of the same year.
What is he accused of?
- Diversion of resources: He is credited with having diverted more than 35 million dollars (around 3,000 million pesos) of public funds.
- Ghost companies: It was discovered that his administration made contracts for more than 3.3 billion pesos with fictitious companies.
- Money laundering and criminal conspiracy: Duarte pleaded guilty to these charges and, in 2019, received a nine-year prison sentence.
- Forced disappearance: In November 2024, a judge dismissed the trial for this crime, although this resolution did not modify his current sentence.
Timeline of relevant events
- 2016: Requested leave to leave office as governor; Shortly after, he was declared a fugitive and an arrest warrant was issued for him.
- April 2017: He was arrested in Guatemala.
- July 2017: He was extradited to Mexico.
- 2019: Received a nine-year prison sentence.
- November 2024: He was acquitted of the crime of forced disappearance.
EE