Morena Rejects PAN's Defense of Ex-Governor Accused of Fuel Theft

Mexico's ruling party, Morena, has strongly rejected a defense front established by the National Action Party (PAN) for former Baja California governor Ernesto Ruffo Appel. Appel is accused of heading one of the country's largest fuel theft networks and is currently facing legal proceedings.

Ariadna Montiel Reyes, Morena's leader, criticized the PAN's defense, which included former President Vicente Fox and four ex-governors, calling it "corporate protection from the old power mafia." She argued their aim was to politically absolve Appel before his trial concludes, stating he has the right to a presumption of innocence but not to be declared untouchable.

Morena asserted that the government is not politically persecuting a powerful individual by holding him accountable to justice. The party challenged Appel's defenders to present evidence disproving the investigated operations, rather than relying on personal endorsements like "I vouch for him." Morena accused the PAN of constructing a false narrative by portraying Appel as a "founder of Mexican democracy," suggesting that the old PRI and PAN regimes colluded to protect economic interests.

Morena concluded that the PAN's press conference was an act of "protecting one of their own," contrasting it with past meetings where power was negotiated. The party emphasized that while government colors may change, the system of privilege has not been dismantled, leading to the consolidation of the "PRIAN" political entity, which allegedly governed for the same elite interests for decades.