PANAMA CITY — A Panamanian judge said on Wednesday Aug. 2 that fugitive ex-Quintana Roo Governor Roberto Borge will remain jailed in Panama until he is extradited to Mexico, where he is wanted on corruption charges, Reuters reported.
Roberto Borge, who was governor until last year of the state of Quintana Roo, the home to tourist resort Cancun, was detained in early June at the Panama City airport with the aid of Interpol as he was preparing to board a flight to Paris.
Ex-Gov. Roberto Borge was arrested in Panama. (PHOTO: Reuters)
Borge, who had fled Mexico to avoid facing the corruption charges, is a member of current President Enrique Pena Nieto’s Institutional Revolutionary Party.
Mexico’s attorney general’s office has accused Borge of using resources obtained through illegal means, embezzlement and abuse of public office.
Panamanian appeals court judge Mauricio Marin said there were enough reasons “to order a formal arrest of Mr. Roberto Borge Angulo,” denying him bail.
Borge and his attorney declined to make any statements following the hearing.
Two other fugitive ex-Mexican governors from the ruling PRI party, Tomas Yarrington of Tamaulipas and Javier Duarte of Veracruz state, were arrested this year and accused of corruption.
An arrest warrant was issued earlier this year for the PRI’s former governor in Chihuahua state, Cesar Duarte, for suspected embezzlement.
Source: reuters.com
