Chetumal, Quintana Roo — Former Quintana Roo Governor Mario Villanueva Madrid said Friday he will not ask President Claudia Sheinbaum to fulfill a pardon promised by her predecessor, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, citing the difficult political climate surrounding the president.
During a lengthy press conference to update his legal status and discuss his deteriorating health, Villanueva recalled that López Obrador offered him freedom through amnesty or a pardon during a visit to Felipe Carrillo Puerto in November. However, in May 2024, a judge ruled the benefit was not viable.
Villanueva, 78, expressed fear that he might spend his 79th birthday in July at the Ceferepsi psychiatric prison, as there is a possibility that an appeal allowing him to remain at home could be rejected, sending him back to jail.
He insisted he will not ask Sheinbaum to intervene, given the accusations by U.S. President Donald Trump against Morena officials linked to organized crime and drug trafficking. “How can the president defend someone linked to drug trafficking? I will continue my legal defense against the Federal Prosecutor’s Office, which is autonomous — well, that’s what they say,” Villanueva said.
Villanueva also addressed the controversy surrounding a photograph of him with Rafael Marín, former head of Mexico’s customs agency and a candidate for the Quintana Roo governorship. He described Marín as a friend and said he cannot refuse to receive him at his home. He acknowledged Marín’s growing popularity due to dissatisfaction with the current administration and internal discontent within Morena over the displacement of party members.
He urged calm, stating that the gubernatorial candidate will be decided by President Sheinbaum. “It may be that we don’t like Gino and prefer Rafa Marín, but those decisions will be made by the president based on her relationship with the Green Party,” he said, referring to Gino Segura, the Green Party candidate.
Villanueva defended his right to meet with journalists, deputies, and senators, noting that his only suspended political rights are voting, being elected, and belonging to a political party.
He criticized deputies Renán Sánchez Tajonar and Jorge Sanén Cervantes for lack of interest in a commission to follow up on his case, saying Sanén gave him “the runaround.” Villanueva claimed both lawmakers cited internal differences within their caucuses, but he dismissed that as an excuse, saying “everyone knows the coordinators dictate the line to their deputies.”
He concluded by saying that Gino Segura should request a meeting with him, but so far no such approach has been made.
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