Pubdate: 23 Mar 1999
Source: Houston Chronicle (TX)
Copyright: 1999 Houston Chronicle
Contact:  http://www.chron.com/
Forum: http://www.chron.com/content/hcitalk/index.html
Author: Ricardo Sandoval
Page: 10A

GOVERNOR BRUSHES OFF PROSECUTORS

Politician in Mexico was named directly in drug-trafficking case

MEXICO CITY -- One of the highest-ranking Mexican politicians ever named
directly in a drug-trafficking probe thumbed his nose at prosecutors
Monday, skipping a scheduled meeting with federal investigators.

Mario Villanueva, governor of tourist-rich Quintana Roo state in southern
Mexico, told prosecutors that if they want to talk, they can find him in
his statehouse office in Chetumal, about 150 miles south of Cancun.

The combative governor's defiance is the latest salvo in an unusually
public investigation into Mexican official corruption. Mexican prosecutors
normally wait until they're ready to indict a major drug suspect before
going public with their accusations.

But the case against Villanueva is said to be unusually strong. He has long
been rumored to be a target of federal drug investigators for allegedly
using his office to help drug traffickers move ever-increasing amounts of
U.S.-bound cocaine through Cancun and along Mexico's Caribbean and Gulf
coasts.

With a U.S. House of Representatives hearing on whether to certify Mexico's
fight against drug traffickers scheduled to begin Wednesday, the case
against Villanueva has become the most public pursuit yet of a top-ranking
politician with alleged ties to traffickers. Under U.S. law,
decertification would trigger trade sanctions and block some aid.

For several years, as U.S. politicians have turned ever closer scrutiny on
the effectiveness of Mexico's anti-drug-traffic efforts, rumors -- as well
as anonymous statements by drug agents in the United States and Mexico --
have implicated several state governors and federal officials. Even the
nation's defense minister was recently named as a potential
money-laundering suspect by a former U.S. drug agent.

Most recent allegations against Mexican officials have led nowhere, but
Mexican prosecutors are said to be confident their case against Villanueva
will stick.

Mexican prosecutors "have an extremely strong case against Villanueva,"
said a U.S. congressional investigator who has spoken with Mexican
prosecutors about their case against the governor. "What Mexicans are now
showing is the political decision to no longer tolerate this type of
behavior in public office."

Mexican Attorney General Jorge Madrazo said publicly earlier this month
that Villanueva was an investigative target. Within judicial circles, it is
widely thought that prosecutors are close to seeking Villanueva's
indictment, perhaps on charges of money laundering or abuse of power.

Mexican law-enforcement sources have said privately in recent months that
Villanueva has business partners who are close to traffickers and that he
allowed a state-owned aircraft hangar to be used by suspected traffickers.
It has also been revealed that several Cancun-area hotel owners were taken
in for questioning about their relationships with drug traffickers.

Villanueva shot back publicly at prosecutors Monday, saying their
investigation is baseless and politically motivated. In a letter to
prosecutors, Villanueva accused them of making errors in their summons and
of not showing him the evidence they've gathered, thereby giving him the
legally required information he needs to defend himself.

"How can one present proof (of innocence) without knowing the elements of
the accusations?" he asked. 
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