The Attorney General’s Office of Morelos completed an arrest warrant against Víctor Rodríguez Padilla, former director of Petróleos Mexicanos (Pemex), for the crime of family violence. The arrest was made at 5:32 p.m. on Tuesday at the Benito Juárez mayor’s office, in the Narvarte neighborhood, in front of a cafe.
Elements of the Ministerial Investigation Police of Mexico City collaborated with Morelos authorities in the operation. According to the National Detention Registry, Rodríguez Padilla is 1.78 meters tall, has a white complexion and white hair; He was wearing a white shirt and dress pants.
The case that led to the arrest
The arrest responds to a complaint filed by María Felicia Jiménez Lavie, wife of the former official. At the end of June, she spread videos on social networks showing the former director attacking her at her home in Emiliano Zapata, Morelos. After the images went viral, President Claudia Sheinbaum declared that she would not protect anyone and asked to apply the full weight of the law.
Jiménez Lavie formally presented the complaint on June 29 before the Prosecutor’s Office for Investigation of Crimes of Family Violence of Mexico City. She explained that she was treated “like another citizen.” The victim accused physical and psychological attacks during their marriage.
Protection measures and advancement of research
The attorney general of Morelos, Fernando Blumenkron Escobar, reported that the specialized Public Ministry of the Justice Center for Women issued protection measures in favor of Jiménez Lavie. These will be activated when the victim requires it. The Women’s Secretariat of the federal government is following up on the case.
Blumenkron confirmed that the investigation folder began ex officio on June 26. “The investigation file continues to be integrated. The proceedings have not stopped and we will continue to guarantee justice for the victim,” he stressed. The Morelos Prosecutor’s Office collaborates with the Women’s Secretariat and the capital’s Prosecutor’s Office.
Among the pending procedures is to locate the address where the attack occurred, to carry out expert work in accordance with the images released. Rodríguez Padilla will be transferred to Morelos for medical certification and presentation before the judge who issued the arrest warrant.
