Former Mexican Secretary of Social Development Rosario Robles. Photo: Google

By KELIN DILLON

In a ruling on Wednesday, Oct. 20, a federal judge ruled to keep former Mexico’s Secretary of Social Development (Sedesol) Rosario Robles in preventative detention instead of house arrest, deeming her as a high risk of potentially fleeing the country.

Robles was arrested in 2019 on the charge of stealing 4.6 billion pesos, the equivalent to $250 million, in Mexico’s so-called Master Fraud.

“Today, we see again that an innocent woman returns to prison, and all I ask is a level playing field,” said Robles’ daughter, Mariana Moguel, in a statement to the press. “We will resort to whatever is necessary, both legally and by raising our voices, so that my mother has the right to go through the legal process while free.”

For his part, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador (AMLO) claimed the judge’s ruling came directly from the judiciary official and had nothing to do with his own administration, although he has repeatedly referred to her as guilty despite the fact that she has yet to be tried.

“There is no revenge here. I do not do that. That would be immoral and unworthy of my office,” said AMLO during his daily morning press conference on Thursday, Oct. 21.

“That would take away from the authority, and from the credibility of my administration. The most important thing is moral authority.”