By RICARDO CASTILLO

Suits Filed against Polevnsky

A suit for charges of fraud worth 809 million pesos and money laundering was filed Wednesday, June, 18 by the temporary presidency of Mexico’s incumbent National Regeneration Party (Morena) against its former president, Yeidckol Polevnsky.

The suit was filed before the office of the Mexican Fiscal General (FGR).

At the same time, the Party of the Democratic Revolution filed another suit against Polevnsky with the National Electoral Institute (INE) for the payment of 364 million.

In both cases, the transfer was made to Enrique Borbolla, owner of real estate agency Ebor, both for the purchase of buildings and services that were not rendered.

Borbolla is allegedly a close friend of the former Morena president, who is running for president again.

The FGR is currently considering whether it will carry out the investigation or turn it over to the Anti-Corruption Fiscal Office.

Interim Morena President Alfonso Ramírez Cuellar said that he requested three times the documents on the purchase of 39 different buildings from Ebor, but that Polevnsky declined to respond for the missing funds.

Hence, he said, he made the decision to charge her with fraud before the FGR.

Torres Admits Guilt

Former Coahuila Governor Jorge Juan Torres López admitted guilt for money laundering while in office in 2011.

Texas Department of Justice head Ryan K. Patrick issued a press release announcing Torres had admitted to carrying out financial transactions in the state to hide bribes received from road construction contractors.

Torres was arrested in Puerto Vallarta in February 2019, but has been formally charged in Texas since 2013.

Now Torres, 66, faces up to 20 years in prison and a potential half a million dollar fine. Sentencing is to be announced on September 10.

Mexico Back to Security Council

The United Nations voted for Mexico to become a non-permanent member of the Security Council.

The vote was 187 in favor. with five abstentions.

There was no other country in the region that competed for the post.

Mexico has not participated in the Security Council since 2010.

Foreign Relations Secretary Marcelo Ebrard celebrated the return by saying: “It’s a great recognition.”

Other nations that were also elected  as non-permanent members were the Dominican Republic, India, Ireland and Norway.

Federal Judge Murdered

Mexican Federal Judge Uriel Villegas Ortiz and his wife were gunned down by armed gangsters inside their Colima home on the morning of Tuesday, June 16. Their two children and a housekeeper survived.

Immediately, suspicion for the crime fell on the Jalisco New Generation Cartel (CJNG) as Villegas, who had previously served in Jalisco, where, in 2018, he condemned to jail Rubén Oseguera González, son of most wanted CJNG leader Nemesio Oseguera Cervantes.

Rubén was extradited to the United States, where he currently faces charges of drug trafficking and other crimes.

Mexican Supreme Court President Arturo Zaldivar deemed the murder “a state crime” on Wednesday, June 17, and committed “all institutions” of the Mexican government to be on the same side to stop these sort of crimes.

“If this case is not solved, it will be a major defeat for the Mexico,” Zaldivar said.

He also said that Villegas, upon moving to the city of Colima, on the Mexican west coast, last January had declined armed security, which is provided to all federal judges.

Senate Reconvenes

Senate Majority Whip Ricardo Monreal announced that an extraordinary period of sessions would be held next week to pass legislation concerning the new United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA, or T-MEC, in Spanish).

The main issue will be the regulatory framework, which has to be ready before July 1, when the UMSCA goes into effect.

Top participants during those sessions will be Economy Secretary Graciela Márquez and the Foreign Relations Secretariat North America representative Jesus Seade. Also participating will be a group representing the Business Coordination Council or CCE.

Sports: Ana Guevara Investigated

An investigation into formal alleged attempted homicide charges was filed against National Sports Commission (Conade) President and former Olympic track medalist Ana Guevara on Wednesday, June 17.

Lawyers for businessmen Jesús Chaín Oceguera and Rafael Sánchez Cano filed with the Fiscal General of the Republic to begin an investigation of Guevara and Armida Ramírez Corral for an armed attack they suffered last week in which gunmen shot at the vehicle they were riding in  at Boca del Río, a suburb of the port of Veracruz.

The request to investigate is a step before filing definite charges.

Apparently, the accusers had differences with Guevara and Ramirez over a food for athlete’s contract, which was awarded to a third party.

…June 19, 2020