Javier Duarte, former Veracruz governor issued warrant for kidnapping

A new arrest warrant has been issued against Javier Duarte, the former governor of Veracruz. The Mexico City Attorney General’s Office reported that the warrant was issued on December 6, by the Veracruz State Attorney General’s Office for kidnapping.

The warrant was issued after an investigation into the concealment of bodies found in a mass grave in January of 2016. Javier Duarte, who is currently imprisoned at the Reclusorio Preventivo Varonil Norte in Mexico City, is believed related to the kidnapping of those found dead.

An investigation by the Veracruz State Attorney General’s Office (FGE) located 19 bodies in the La Aurora ravine, a wooded area in the municipality of Emiliano Zapata, which is near the municipal police facilities.

According to statements made in the investigation, police officers from the municipal police facilities are alleged to have left the lifeless bodies in the ravine of people detained and tortured inside the facility.

Although the 19 bodies were located in January of 2016, it wasn’t until April of 2018 that they were officially identified.

Javier Duarte was arrested in Guatemala on April 15, 2017, for money laundering and criminal association. In recent days, the Guatemalan government made an exception in its Extradition Treaty for Duarte to be tried for kidnapping, since at the time of his capture, that statement was not included.

Compliance with the judicial mandate was carried out in the legal area of the prison where the 48-year-old Duarte is currently serving time. Javier Duarte was governor of Veracruz from 2010 to 2016. He was given a nine-year prison sentence, but was expected to be released early for good behavior.

Source: El Sol de Mexico