Vice Admiral seeks military trial for alleged fuel theft scheme

Vice Admiral Manuel Roberto Farías Laguna is challenging a federal court's decision that denied him protection, seeking to have his legal proceedings transferred to military jurisdiction. Farías Laguna, who is the nephew of former Navy Secretary Admiral José Rafael Ojeda Durán, faces charges related to allegedly leading a network involved in fiscal fuel theft from within the Navy.

His defense team has filed a review petition against the ruling by District Judge Jorge Adrián Cruz Flores, who previously denied Farías Laguna's request for federal protection. The case will now be reviewed by a Collegiate Court in Criminal Matters. The defense argues that the court should have considered whether the case falls under military jurisdiction according to Article 13 of the Constitution.

Prosecutors have built their case based on Farías Laguna's rank as vice admiral and his duties within the Secretariat of the Navy (Semar). However, his defense contends that neither the Attorney General's Office nor the prior court ruling has presented concrete evidence, orders, or instructions directly linking Farías Laguna to the administration, direction, or supervision of the alleged criminal organization. They assert that the accusations rely on institutional hierarchy, work relationships, geolocation data, and family ties, rather than direct proof of his personal involvement.

Furthermore, the defense criticizes the previous ruling for allegedly misinterpreting evidence, such as a letter attributed to Fernando Rubén Guerrero Alcántar, and for validating a general narrative of the criminal organization without distinguishing Farías Laguna's specific conduct. They also claim the ruling failed to adequately address the arguments presented in the amparo lawsuit and introduced irrelevant considerations.