Javier Duarte, Mexican Ex-Governor Accused of Diverting Money, Is Captured

Javier Duarte, Mexican Ex-Governor Accused of Diverting Money, Is Captured
By KIRK SEMPLEAPRIL 16, 2017
MEXICO CITY — After a six-month manhunt spanning at least three continents, the former governor of Veracruz state in Mexico was captured in Guatemala
and will face extradition to Mexico, where he is wanted on suspicion of diverting millions of dollars to phantom companies, Mexican authorities said.
Public disgust with corruption also contributed to electoral losses for the president’s
party in elections for governor last year, including in Veracruz, where the P.R.I.
But Mr. Duarte’s capture could provide some political capital to President Enrique Peña Nieto, whose approval ratings have plummeted over the past two years
and whose party is preparing for a close, fierce fight to hold onto the presidency in elections next year.
Tomás Yarrington, the former governor of Tamaulipas state who has been accused by Mexican
and American prosecutors of money laundering and racketeering, among other charges, was captured in Italy last week.
His party, known by its Spanish initials, P.R.I., is also locked in a tight race for the governorship of the State
of Mexico, a historical stronghold for the party, where corruption has become a central campaign theme.
During his run from the law, Mr. Duarte, once considered a luminary of the ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party, became a quintessential symbol of malfeasance
and a huge embarrassment to the party, which has been criticized for its inability to rein in rampant corruption.