U.S. prosecutor asks judge not to release César Duarte on bond
A U.S. prosecutor asked a federal judge in Miami, which is
handling César Duarte’s extradition case, not to release him on bond because he
poses a “flight risk.”
In Mexico, former Chihuahua Governor César Duarte is accused
of embezzlement and electoral crimes. U.S. authorities arrested Duarte Jáquez
in Miami on July 8.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jason Wu said the former Chihuahua
Governor can’t prove he won’t flee the country if released on bond.
César Duarte’s hearing to determine whether or not he will
be released on bond was set for July 30. It will be a virtual hearing with
judge Lauren F. Louis.
Since his arrest three weeks ago, Duarte has remained at a
federal prison in Miami, Florida.
In his letter, Attorney Jason Wu added that there is an
existing extradition treaty between Mexico and the United States, and the
charges the former Mexican Governor faces, embezzlement and conspiracy, are
included in the agreement.
Duarte Jáquez’s lawyers, Armando Rosquete Bell and Henry
Philip Bell, haven’t filed a motion to request a bail.
According to documents, U.S. authorities claim “Duarte, with
help from other officials working for his administration and others, embezzled
state funds for his benefit.” It also explains that a judge in Chihuahua had
issued an arrest warrant against the former governor on October 8, 2019.
Years ago, Mexican authorities found a series of
irregularities in subsidies and loan programs aimed at livestock producers.
Also, the purchase of state properties was tainted by irregularities.
According to legal documents, between 2011 and 2014,
Chihuahua transferred over USD 6.4 million to two companies where César Duarte
was a shareholder.
César Duarte’s wife tries to avoid arrest
On June 20, a Mexican judge halted any arrest warrants for
the extradition of Bertha Olga Gómez Fong, César Duarte’s wife.
The Mexico City judge decided to halt any arrest or
extradition warrant issued against Gómez Fong.
The judge urged Chihuahua’s Attorney General’s Office and
the state police to inform if they have any arrest warrants against Duarte’s
wife.
Although authorities mentioned Bertha Olga Gómez Fong in
some investigations against her husband, these investigations ended, and
authorities haven’t informed about any arrest warrant against Gómez Fong.
In 2014, the Attorney General’s Office launched an
investigation against Bertha Olga Gómez Fong and César Duarte Jáquez for money
laundering; however, it was later shelved.
Who is César Duarte?
Former Chihuahua Governor César Duarte was arrested in
Florida three weeks ago, after years on the run.
In 2017, Chihuahua authorities issued an arrest warrant
against him after discovering public debt has reached MXN 48,000 million,
embezzlement for MXN 6,000 million, and the diversion of MXN 250 million for
the PRI’s electoral campaign in 2015.
It was later confirmed that the US Marshals Service arrested
the former governor.
Back in 2017, the Federal Prosecutors’ Office asked the
Interpol to search for Duarte in 190 countries after Chihuahuaauthorities asked
federal authorities for help to find the former Governor.
In January 2020, President López Obrador said the United
States had agreed to extradite Duarte, who is wanted on corruption, money
laundering, and illicit enrichment charges.
The Attorney General’s Office renewed its request to arrest
and extradite Duarte to Mexico in January 2020.
Duarte, who governed Chihuahua for the long-ruling
Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), has previously denied wrongdoing. His
successor as governor, Javier Corral, has said that he believed Duarte fled to
neighboring Texas.
In September 2019, César Duarte was spotted in Albuquerque,
New Mexico.
In May 2019, the PRI official kicked him out of the
political party.
In September 2019, Security Minister Alfonso Durazo said
that Mexican intelligence agencies were working with their U.S. counterparts to
confirm if the former governor of Chihuahua, César Duarte, lived in New Mexico.
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