Chihuahua— The state’s anti-corruption prosecutor, Abelardo Valenzuela, reported that former governor Javier Corral Jurado remains a fugitive from justice, as an arrest warrant issued by a judge for the crime of embezzlement of 98 million 600 thousand pesos is still in effect.
“He remains a fugitive from justice. The Chihuahua Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office has not been notified of the alleged provisional suspension that was ordered by a federal judge. That seems highly suspicious to us,” he said. The state official said that the Prosecutor’s Office fully respects judicial decisions and does not want to doubt the alleged initial resolution of the injunction sought by Corral Jurado, but the fact that he has not been notified raises suspicions that it could be a delaying tactic to try to prevent the former governor from appearing before justice. In addition, he explained that an injunction does not imply the invalidity of a criminal process, it would simply avoid capture, but it does not exempt from responsibility the person accused of paying 98.6 million pesos from the treasury to a company whose work there is no proof of, according to the complaint that the Superior Audit Office of the State (ASE) made to the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office.
“It would be very unfortunate if, after the lawyer himself said that he had been given a provisional suspension since the 16th of this month, he has not been notified. The effect is only related to the fact that he cannot be detained to appear before the judge,” he said.
On the other hand, regarding the information provided by the head of the Mexico City Prosecutor’s Office, Ulises Lara, who said that there is currently no collaboration agreement with the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office of Chihuahua, Valenzuela responded that they had already been allowed to work in coordination this 2024, so now the refusal with that argument is also suspicious. The official from the capital of the country, who prevented the arrest of the former governor last week, assured that the agreement with the country’s prosecutors does not include the Anti-Corruption of Chihuahua, so the attempt to execute the arrest warrant would have been illegal. Valenzuela Holguín pointed out that the purpose of the collaboration between prosecutors’ offices is that there are no barriers or borders in the federal entities for the administration of justice, especially in cases such as those related to corruption. “I find it incredible, unprecedented and suspicious that 15 days ago, jointly and in collaboration agreement, we arrested a businessman who falsified documents to win a contract worth more than 41 million pesos in the previous administration. There is even evidence of all the proceedings carried out by the former head Gema Chávez, when they were pursuing the current head of the Executive and now the person in charge of the Mexico City office comes out with this,” he condemned. The prosecutor stressed that all of this is intended to redirect attention from the heart of the matter, which is precisely the alleged diversion of 98 million pesos by the former president. “I am not going to fall into diverting and litigating in the media what is a strictly technical, legal and investigative matter in criminal matters. That is the heart of the matter, there is a diversion of more than 98 million 600 thousand pesos, that is the crux of the matter,” he said.
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