Fugitive Mexican ex-governor moved to Guatemalan prison
GUATEMALA CITY — A former governor who had become a symbol of government corruption in Mexico was transferred to a Guatemalan military prison on Sunday hours after being captured in a hotel following six months on the lam.
Ex-Veracruz state Gov. Javier Duarte looked pale and visibly tired as he was brought to the military base in Guatemala’s capital guarded by two dozen police officers. Prosecutors in Mexico directed the Foreign Relations Department to request his extradition to his homeland, where he is wanted on suspicion of money laundering and organized crime.
Duarte, 43, captured Saturday in Panajachel, a picturesque tourist town on Lake Atitlan in Guatemala’s highlands, with the co-operation of that country’s police and Interpol office, a statement from Mexico’s federal Attorney General’s Office said.
“I have no comment, thank you,” the former Institutional Revolutionary Party, or PRI, governor said to a question from The Associated Press as he entered the prison.