Mexico takes legal action against 19 former officials who worked at the Federal Police

On August 11, a federal judge issued an arrest warrant against Jesús Orta Martínez, Mexico City's former police chief, and another 18 former officials. Sources said authorities arrived at Orta's home but didn't find him.

Today, the Attorney General's Office and the National Guard arrested Eleuterio Pérez Romero. Authorities arrested him at the National Guard's headquarters, where he works.

In previous days, the Attorney General’s Office (FGR) asked a judge to issue arrest warrants against 19 former officials from the now-extinct Federal Police (PF) and the National Security Commission (CNS) on organized crimes and carrying out transactions involving illegally-sourced funds accusations. The former security officials worked under former Interior Minister Miguel Ángel Osorio Chong .

The majority of the 19 former officials worked in finance, organization, and human resources areas.

Some of the former Federal Police officials involved in the corruption case are Jesús Orta Martínez and Frida Martínez Zamora. Federal prosecutors accused them of embezzlement and overprices purchases between 2012 and 2018.

Jesús Orta

Martínez was the head of the Federal Police between 2012 and 2014. Mexico City Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum later appointed him as the city’s police chief in 2018. He resigned after the city registered a series of femicides and gender-based crimes.

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Sources said the accusations stem from an audit carried out by the Public Administration Ministry (SFP), at the request of the Security Ministry (SSPC). The federal government shut down the Federal Police in 2019 and said it found irregularities in the purchase of intelligence equipment, weapons, bullet-proof vests, uniforms, and vehicles.

When he took office, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador denounced corruption at the Federal Police and proposed the creation of the National Guard.

The Public Administration Ministry discovered the purchase of an intelligence system for MXN 2,458 million in 2015; however, the operation didn't follow the standard procedure and generated a debt for MXN 1,300 million.

While presenting his annual report, Security Minister Alfonso Durazo said auditors discovered former officials had embezzled over MXN 2,000 million.

Others involved in the embezzlement case are Carlos Hipólito Rivera Codina, who currently works at the National Guard; Eleuterio Enrique Pérez Romero; Federico Emilio Metzger Sánchez Armas; Francisco Javier Cruz Rojas; Osvaldo Martínez Hernández; Ramón Jesús Sánchez Cañedo; Carmen Patricia Quiñonez Piña; Édgar Ulises Calderón Luna; Leonel Ignacio Orozco Padilla; Leopoldo Martínez Escamilla; Jorge Carlos Ruiz Alavés; Israel Luna Espinosa; José Manuel Correa Flores; María Eldy Sosa Calderón; Verónica Tlahuitzo Pérez; Mercedes Hernández Rodríguez, and Everardo Guzmán Linares.

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After the news broke, Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum the investigation launched by the Attorney General’s Office was one of the reasons why Jesús Orta Martínez resigned as the city’s police chief.

Sheinbaum said the government must eradicate corruption and administrate justice. The mayor said local authorities will cooperate in the investigation.

Claudia Sheinbaum emphasized her administration will not allow corruption .

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