A federal judge rejected the early release request for former Veracruz governor Javier Duarte, who remains imprisoned in Mexico City's Reclusorio Norte. The decision was made on November 21, 2025, despite his defense claiming he had served 95% of his nine-year sentence. His lawyer announced an appeal, as the penalty ends in April 2026.
Javier Duarte de Ochoa, former PRI governor of Veracruz from 2010 to 2016, was sentenced in 2018 to nine years in prison for money laundering and criminal association after pleading guilty on September 26 of that year through an abbreviated procedure. The sentence included a fine of 58,890 pesos and the seizure of 40 properties in his name. Duarte fled in 2016, was arrested on April 15, 2017, in Panajachel, Guatemala, and extradited to Mexico on July 17, 2017.
On November 21, 2025, Control Judge Ángela Zamorano Herrera at the Federal Penal Justice Center in Reclusorio Norte denied early release, determining that Duarte did not meet the requirements of Article 141 of the National Law on Penal Execution. His defense, led by Pablo Campuzano, argued that he had served 95% of the sentence, maintained good behavior, and participated in social reintegration programs.
However, the Attorney General's Office (FGR) opposed it, presenting evidence of indiscipline: testimony from Denisse Moreno Córdoba about a 2022 incident where Duarte was tied to a chair during a hearing, and items seized from his cell, such as four cans of alcoholic beverages, a Blu-ray device, a broadband internet modem, a cell phone, and a pen with a video recording camera.
Campuzano expressed disappointment: “It is not the decision we expected” and “We would have to see what to do. His sentence ends in April 2026, so we would have to see the procedural times.” He added that they will appeal, as “it is in our hands to file the appeal and we will exhaust it.” Duarte made no comment after the resolution.
In November 2024, Duarte was acquitted of a charge for the forced disappearance of police officer David Lara Cruz, and he has no other pending criminal proceedings at the federal or local level. The Superior Audit Office reported misappropriation of over 62 billion pesos in federal funds during his administration, but without additional charges.
