Judge in Mexico orders ex-head of state oil company jailed
https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/judge-mexico-orders-head-state-oil-company-jailed-80960015
The former head of Mexico's state-run oil company has finally been ordered to jail, a year after he was extradited from Spain but offered to turn state's evidence against other former officials
Lozoya offered testimony about bribery and corruption involving opposition legislators and former administration officials, and also acknowledged that he himself received bribes.
But a judge ruled Wednesday that Lozoya’s accusations have not done enough to help prosecutors, and that he represents a flight risk, and so should be held in jail while his legal process continues. He faces charges of corruption and money laundering, among others.
Lozoya had previously stayed out of jail because he was considered a cooperating witness. Lozoya's lawyers have also asked for seemingly endless extensions of his legal case.
The case has proved an embarrassment to President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, who has made rooting out corruption the main theme of his presidency. Prosecutors have not yet managed to jail any of the top figures implicated in a big corruption case at the state-run oil company that almost bankrupted the firm.
In October, Lozoya was photographed dining out carefree at a luxury restaurant in Mexico City, drawing criticism.
“I believe it is legal, but is immoral that these things happen. It is imprudent, at the very least,” López Obrador said in October. “That is why there is so much indignation at him eating at a luxury restaurant. Even though he can legally do so, he is a witness to acts of corruption that damaged Mexico a lot.”
Lozoya fled to Spain, was arrested there and extradited back to Mexico in 2020.