Navy Minister'santi-corruption speech applauded by Sheinbaum, as recapped on Wednesday's mananera
Mexico's Former Tabasco Security Minister Arrested in Paraguay, to be Extradited
In a significant development, President Claudia Sheinbaum announced on Wednesday that Hernán Bermúdez Requena, a former security minister in the state of Tabasco, was arrested in Paraguay last Friday. Bermúdez is accused of heading up a criminal organization called La Barredora.
The Federal Attorney General's Office is responsible for investigating a fuel smuggling case allegedly involving members of the navy, including a vice admiral, and a petroleum tanker seized at the Gulf Coast port of Tampico, Tamaulipas, in March. Mexico's National Intelligence Center collaborated with Paraguayan authorities on the efforts to locate Bermúdez, who fled Mexico in January.
President Sheinbaum noted that the Tabasco Attorney General's Office is investigating Bermúdez and stressed that her government won't seek to intervene in or influence the investigation in any way. Security Minister Omar García Harfuch announced on Wednesday afternoon that Bermúdez was being transferred to Mexico.
Bermúdez refused to agree to a simplified extradition process, creating the expectation that his transfer to Mexico would take two months or longer. The reason for Bermúdez's expulsion from Paraguay was his irregular entry to and presence in the country.
During her first morning press conference of the week, President Sheinbaum spoke about her history-making Grito de Independencia on Monday night, where she honoured Mexico's heroines of Independence. Sheinbaum frequently asserts that her government has zero tolerance for the scourge of impunity.
In a related development, Navy Minister Raymundo Pedro Morales Ángeles made a powerful speech at an Independence Day military parade event, asserting that it would have been "absolutely unforgivable" to "keep quiet" about fuel smuggling allegedly involving members of the navy.
President Sheinbaum described the navy minister as a "very honorable" and "brave" man. Sheinbaum also apologized to an El Universal journalist for rebuking him a week earlier for the way he framed a question about the death of a marine.
Part of being the first woman president, according to Sheinbaum, is recognizing the women in the history of Mexico. The only independence heroine Sheinbaum was taught about in primary school was Josefa Ortiz de Domínguez.
Former interior minister Adán Augusto López Hernández, now the ruling Morena party's top senator, has expressed his willingness to collaborate with authorities on the case against his former security minister in Tabasco.
As the investigation continues, the public awaits further updates on the fuel smuggling case and the extradition of Hernán Bermúdez Requena.
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