The specialized Control judge, Adriana Correa, issued an order to bring proceedings against Víctor Rodríguez Padilla, former director of Petróleos Mexicanos (Pemex), for the crime of family violence to the detriment of his wife, María Felicia Jiménez Lavie, and his minor son.
Forgiveness without legal value
The case took an unexpected turn: the defense presented a document signed by the victim in which he granted forgiveness to Rodríguez Padilla and requested not to continue with the process to seek reconciliation. However, the judge rejected the document, considering that it has no probative value, since the crime is prosecuted ex officio and the signature is not legally certified.
Imputation for vicarious violence dismissed
The judge dismissed the charge of vicarious violence. He argued that the evidence did not prove that the former official tried to abduct or retain his son. On the contrary, it was proven that he lived with the minor days after the attack against his partner.
Next steps
The defense requested the conditional suspension of the process, which would allow Rodríguez Padilla to remain free. The judge considered the request viable, but conditioned its admissibility on the victim appearing personally to ratify the pardon. For this reason, he summoned a new hearing for this Tuesday at 8:15 a.m.
In addition, he instructed the Prosecutor’s Office to interview María Felicia Jiménez to explain the legal implications of her request. The intermediate hearing, where the evidence from both parties will be analyzed, was set for October 13.
Defense questions evidence
During the hearing, the former director’s lawyers questioned the authenticity of the video of the attack—without audio—and pointed out that there are no eyewitnesses. The judge rejected those arguments: she considered the video as relevant evidence and recalled that family violence usually occurs in private.
