MEXICO CITY (AP) 鈥� The embattled governor of Mexico鈥檚 Sinaloa state has reversed his decision to return to his post, bowing to an extraordinary backlash from his own ruling party over accusations by U.S. prosecutors he conspired with a powerful cartel to smuggle drugs into the United States.
State lawmakers were expected Sunday to approve Gov. Rub茅n Rocha Moya鈥檚 request for an indefinite leave of absence, about a day and a half after he announced his return by claiming Mexican prosecutors had cleared him of the him by the U.S. Department of Justice in late April.
The rapid reversal demonstrated the authority wields over her as she walks a fine line between placating U.S. , who says cartels control Mexico and has U.S. military help to fight them, and her progressive movement deeply .
After nearly four months on leave, Rocha Moya announced Friday that he was returning to office, claiming Mexico鈥檚 Attorney General鈥檚 Office had found 鈥渘o evidence to support our participation in any criminal conduct.鈥� He declared that he was back 鈥渁s governor of Sinaloa with my head held high.鈥�
That defiance lasted barely a day, as his return unleashed a torrent of criticism from governors, senators and other prominent figures in Morena, including .
鈥淣o personal interest can ever come before the interests of the people and the nation,鈥� she wrote Saturday in an apparent rebuke of Rocha Moya, without mentioning him by name. 鈥淢exico deserves public servants who understand that positions are temporary, but responsibility to the nation is eternal.鈥�
Morena said its national leadership had no prior knowledge of Rocha Moya鈥檚 return, calling it his 鈥減ersonal decision.鈥� The party鈥檚 Senate bloc urged respect for the ongoing investigation, while Morena governors declared in a joint statement that 鈥減ersonal or group political projects have no place鈥� when the country鈥檚 interests are at stake.
Ricardo Monreal, Morena鈥檚 leader in the lower house of Congress, publicly urged Rocha Moya, his longtime ally, to reconsider and remain on leave.
The coordinated response left Rocha Moya isolated. He announced later Saturday that he had asked the state legislature to allow him to step aside indefinitely. 鈥淪inaloa, the nation and the transformation movement come first,鈥� he wrote.
Rocha Moya had been on leave since early May, days after federal prosecutors in New York unsealed a accusing him and nine other current and former Mexican officials of protecting Sinaloa cartel members in exchange for bribes as they trafficked fentanyl, heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine into the U.S.
The indictment marked the Trump administration鈥檚 most significant public action against what it calls official corruption enabling Mexico鈥檚 cartels, fueling new tension between the U.S. and Mexican governments. Sheinbaum has denied shielding Rocha Moya but rejected Washington鈥檚 request to arrest and extradite the defendants without credible evidence, insisting that any prosecution take place in Mexico.
Rocha Moya, 77, a staunch ally of Sheinbaum鈥檚 mentor, former , denied wrongdoing and described the charges as a politically motivated attack. He initially stepped aside so he could cooperate with the Mexican investigation without relying on the constitutional immunity attached to his office. Whether taking leave stripped him of that protection 鈥� and whether his latest request to step aside indefinitely would do so again 鈥� remains disputed among Mexican legal scholars.
After the indictment, the mayor of Culiac谩n, Sinaloa鈥檚 capital, and the state鈥檚 deputy attorney general also stepped down from their posts, while two former senior state officials surrendered to U.S. authorities.
Sinaloa has been engulfed for nearly two years in a between rival factions of the cartel that bears the state鈥檚 name.
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