Former Governor César Duarte will go to trial and remain in preventive detention, reports the Chihuahua Prosecutor’s Office

The US extradites César Duarte to Mexico 1:03 (CNN Spanish) –– The former governor of Chihuahua César Duarte will face trial on charges of embezzlement and criminal association with an aggravated penalty, as decided by the control judge of the district of Morelos this Wednesday. He also determined that Duarte continue in preventive detention, the Chihuahua state Attorney General’s Office reported in a statement. The pronouncement indicates that between 2011 and 2014, when he was governor of Chihuahua, Duarte “diverted resources from state assets” in “prior agreement with various officials and people outside the public service.” According to the statement, the amount of diverted resources amounted to 96,685,253 pesos ––about US$4.9 million at the current exchange rate––, “which were deposited in various accounts belonging to the Ministry of Finance.” The Prosecutor’s Office added that the judge also determined a period of 6 months for the investigation to be completed. CNN is trying to get a binding order on the case. Also, since this Wednesday he has tried Duarte’s defense to obtain comments. In the past, the former governor has denied the accusations and has said that he is the victim of political persecution. Duarte, who governed Chihuahua between 2010 and 2016, was arrested in Florida in July 2020 after an arrest warrant issued by Mexican authorities. In November 2021, a Florida court approved his extradition from the United States to Mexico, which was finalized last week.