Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has questioned the credibility of US accusations that Sinaloa Governor Ruben Rocha collaborated with the Sinaloa drug cartel, after US prosecutors charged him and nine other officials with ties to organized crime.
“My position on these events is as follows: truth, justice and the defence of sovereignty,” Sheinbaum said on Thursday. She added that the US claims lack credibility unless backed by actual evidence.
“If the Attorney General's Office receives clear and irrefutable evidence under Mexican law or if its own investigation finds elements constituting a crime, it must proceed in accordance with the law under our jurisdiction,” she stated, stressing that no one would be shielded if wrongdoing is proven.
Sheinbaum suggested the charges by the US Department of Justice are political, saying: “If there is no clear evidence, it is evident that the aim of these charges is political.”
The indictment, unsealed in New York, accuses Rocha and nine current and former officials of working with cartel leaders to move large quantities of narcotics into the US in exchange for political support and bribes. Prosecutors allege the links extend to Rocha's 2021 gubernatorial campaign, when the cartel's “Chapitos” faction purportedly backed his bid by interfering in the vote, including stealing ballots and kidnapping opposition candidates.
Rocha has denied the allegations, calling them unfounded and politically driven. “This attack is not only against me, but against the Fourth Transformation movement, its emblematic leaders, and the Mexican people,” he said in a statement.
Analysts say the Sheinbaum administration's response will be critical. Vanda Felbab-Brown of the Brookings Institution noted that if indicted officials are extradited to the US, it could provide US authorities with a clearer picture of alleged corruption within the government and the Morena party.
The case unfolds as Mexico's government has intensified operations against drug cartels, including the recent killing of Nemesio “El Mencho” Oseguera, leader of the Jalisco New Generation Cartel.
Source: www.aljazeera.com