Former Veracruz governor Javier Duarte de Ochoa accepted his extradition to Mexico, though he denied the charges against him.
Duarte de Ochoa, a member of Mexico’s Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), is being held in Guatemala, where a court deliberates his extradition process. The former governor is accused of organized crime and committing federal felonies with illegally-obtained funds during his term as Veracruz governor, from 2010 to 2016.
Duarte de Ochoa was detained April 15 in Panajachel, a town located in Guatemala’s southwest. His arrest is temporary, following the Mexican government’s request for extradition.
Juan Daniel Lemus, secretary of Guatemala’s Fifth Tribunal, said that the confirmation or denial of Duarte de Ochoa’s extradition shall be dictated by the court, ordained by lawyer César García. According to Carlos Velázquez, Duarte de Ochoa’s attorney, the former governor can accept the court’s ruling, easing his extradition process, or appeal against it, with a maximum of three days to do so. If he chooses to do the latter, it would open a new phase in the process which could last up to eight months.
