Ex-Governor Roberto Borge Leaves Prison After 9 Years for House Arrest

Roberto Borge Angulo, the former governor of Quintana Roo, has been released from the Morelos prison after serving nine years. He will now serve his sentence under house arrest as he awaits the resolution of his pending money laundering case, according to federal sources.

Borge, a former member of the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), was detained in Panama in 2017. He was transferred from the Federal Center for Psychosocial Rehabilitation (CEFEREPSI) after a federal judge acquitted him of organized crime charges in May. The Attorney General's Office (FGR) currently accuses him of operations with resources of illicit origin, commonly known as money laundering.

In 2023, a federal judge granted Borge house arrest for the money laundering case, authorizing the use of an electronic monitoring bracelet and setting a bail of 10 million pesos. The FGR had previously linked him to organized crime charges related to the concealment of the origin and ownership of 22 real estate properties managed by the State Heritage Institute (IPAE).

Following his extradition to Mexico in January 2018, Borge faced charges for money laundering involving the irregular sale of 25 properties valued at approximately 5 billion pesos. He had previously managed to overturn accusations at the state level related to illicit use of power, irregular performance of public duty, and embezzlement. The former governor's administration was accused of causing damages totaling over 900 million pesos to the public treasury.