Sinaloa's Congress approved on Saturday a 30-day temporary leave requested by Governor Rubén Rocha Moya, following US accusations of ties to the Sinaloa Cartel. It appointed Secretary of Government Yeraldine Bonilla Valverde as interim governor. Rocha denied the charges and stated he has a clear conscience.
Rubén Rocha Moya, Sinaloa's Morena governor, requested a temporary leave on the night of Friday, May 1, two days after the US Department of Justice accused him, along with nine others, of ties to the Sinaloa Cartel, particularly Los Chapitos, sons of Joaquín 'El Chapo' Guzmán.
"I have a clear conscience, a lifetime of work backs my words. I say it clearly and unequivocally: The accusations against me are false and malicious", Rocha stated in a video. He said the leave aims not to hinder investigations by the Attorney General's Office (FGR).
The state Congress approved the request unanimously in an extraordinary session on Saturday, May 2, and appointed Yeraldine Bonilla Valverde, general secretary of government since October 2025 and the first woman in the role, as interim governor. Bonilla was sworn in shortly after 11:00 a.m.
The FGR rejected the US provisional detention request for extradition due to lack of evidence and urgency, demanding additional documents via the Secretariat of Foreign Affairs. It will launch its own investigation.
Opposition parties like Movimiento Ciudadano and PRI criticized the leave as insufficient and called for Rocha's removal of immunity. Jorge Álvarez Máynez of MC said: "As long as he keeps his immunity, impunity continues". Senator Enrique Inzunza, also accused, will stay in his post to refute the "falsehoods".
