Lilly Téllez urges Inzunza to take leave and not use immunity to hinder investigations

Lilly Téllez is urging Senator Enrique Inzunza Cázarez to step away from his seat while authorities examine accusations linking him to the Sinaloa Cartel’s Los Chapitos faction.

The PAN senator submitted a motion calling on Inzunza to request leave from the LXVI Legislature and place himself at the disposal of Mexico’s federal prosecutors and other competent authorities. Inzunza attended Monday’s regular Senate session.

The motion, published in the Congressional Gazette, refers to formal accusations filed against Inzunza in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York. The charges cited in the document include drug trafficking, conspiracy with the Sinaloa Cartel and firearms-related offenses. It also refers to allegations involving organizations designated as terrorist groups by the U.S. government and possession of weapons reserved for the armed forces.

“

The senator’s continued service, with constitutional immunity in force, cannot interfere with or condition that investigation.

Mexico’s Attorney General’s Office has received a provisional arrest request for extradition from the United States involving the accused, including Inzunza. The office has said it will analyze the evidence submitted to determine whether the request meets legal requirements.

Téllez argued that Inzunza’s continued presence in office, protected by constitutional immunity, must not interfere with or condition the investigation. She said his remaining in the Senate seriously damaged the chamber’s legitimacy and argued that the alleged offenses went far beyond what republican standards of public conduct could tolerate.

“

Senator Inzunza Cázarez’s continued service seriously compromises the legitimacy of the Senate, which has a constitutional obligation to set an example of probity and transparency before citizens.