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Ex-Pemex Director Faces Domestic Violence Charges; Wife Forgives Him
🇲🇽 Mexico /Crime & Justice

Ex-Pemex Director Faces Domestic Violence Charges; Wife Forgives Him

From El Universal · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources In the courts
  • Former Pemex director Víctor Rodríguez Padilla faces charges of domestic violence and remains in preventive detention.
  • His wife, María Felicia Jiménez, has forgiven him in writing, citing reconciliation and a desire to protect their children from further emotional distress.
  • Despite the forgiveness, a judge continued the proceedings, stating that domestic violence is prosecuted ex officio, though conditional release is possible.

Former Petróleos Mexicanos director Víctor Rodríguez Padilla has been ordered to stand trial for domestic violence and is currently held in preventive custody. However, his wife, María Felicia Jiménez, has submitted a written forgiveness, potentially paving the way for his conditional release. Jiménez stated in her letter that the couple has achieved a genuine reconciliation through mutual reflection, dialogue, and commitment. Her primary goal is to halt the emotional strain on herself and their minor children, and to prevent further victimization during the legal proceedings.

We have achieved a genuine reconciliation, the product of a process of reflection, dialogue, and mutual commitment.

— María Felicia JiménezThe wife of the former Pemex director explains her decision to forgive him in writing.

Rodríguez Padilla's defense attorney, Víctor Manuel Solís Buitrón, had hinted at the possibility of reaching an agreement with the victim prior to the hearing. Despite the written forgiveness, Judge Adriana Correa decided to proceed with the case, explaining that domestic violence and vicarious violence are offenses pursued by the state regardless of the victim's wishes. The judge emphasized that such crimes are prosecuted ex officio.

The objective is to stop the emotional wear and tear for her and her minor children and the eventual revictimization during the procedure.

— María Felicia JiménezThe wife of the former Pemex director explains her motivation for seeking reconciliation.

During the hearing, Rodríguez Padilla, initially appearing with a smile, saw his demeanor change as the judge dismissed the evidence presented by his defense. The judge found most of the defense's arguments, including challenges to the origin of a video showing the physical aggression, to be "subjective." The video, uploaded by the victim, depicts Rodríguez Padilla pulling his wife's hair, pushing her, and throwing her around, which the judge deemed more powerful than a thousand words, despite the lack of audio. The court gave significant weight to the victim's testimony detailing the start of the violent incident on March 15.

Domestic violence and vicarious violence are prosecuted ex officio and, therefore, the procedure continued.

— Judge Adriana CorreaThe judge explains why the legal proceedings continued despite the victim's forgiveness.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by El Universal in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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