Arrest of Mexican ex-governor marks big win for President Nieto

Latin America

Arrest of Mexican ex-governor marks big win for President Nieto

The capture of a fugitive Mexican governor represents a big victory for the country’s president, Enrique Pena Nieto. The high-profile arrest is the latest sign of progress in the government’s fight against corruption.

CGTN’s Martin Markovits reports.

Follow Martin Markovits on Twitter @MartinMarkovits

Javier Duarte was once a rising star in Mexican politics, but turned into a symbol of its corruption.

Over the weekend, the ex-governor of the state of Veracruz was apprehended in Guatemala after six months on the run. He is suspected of misusing his office for numerous enrichment schemes, possibly totaling hundreds of millions of dollars.

This high profile arrest gave President Enrique Pena Nieto a much-needed victory as he struggles with record low approval rating poll numbers.

“These arrests are a firm message, a blow by the Mexican government against impunity. These results or these operations join the institutional changes that will take place in order to represent a national system of transparency and a national system against corruption,” Nieto said.

Duarte was not the only governor wanted by the Mexican authorities. Earlier this month, Tomas Yarrington, the former governor of Tamaulipas, was caught in Italy after being on the run since 2012.

Yarrington is accused of money laundering and racketeering by both the U.S. and Mexico. Meanwhile, fugitive ex-governor Cesar Duarte of Chihuahua state remains at large.

Millions of Mexicans were outraged over widespread abuse of power. In 2016, President Pena Nieto signed a series of anti-corruption laws. The capture of Duarte has given citizens some hope that the government is finally getting serious about the problem.