Governor denies witch hunt
Baja California Gov. Jaime Bonilla Valdez has rejected the characterization of the search warrant executed Friday at predecessor Francisco Vega’s residence in Cumbres de Juárez subdivision in Tijuana as a witch hunt.
“It is not a witch hunt, it is justice,” said Bonilla, adding he was responding to a demand from Baja Californians to punish corrupt former officials.
Bonilla said the State Attorney General’s Office (FGE) determined to carry out the raid due to the large amount of information the agency has obtained through complaints filed against Vega, as well as against his wife, Brenda Ruacho, former president of the state’s Family Development Agency (DIF).
Bonilla said accusations against his predecessor also involve his former Treasury Secretaries Antonio Valladolid and Bladimiro Hernández, as well as a large number of other state officials. They are accused of involvement in a diversion scheme of more than 1.7 billion pesos, or about $85 million, through apocryphal invoices from nonexistent companies.
Regarding the complaint that weighs against former first lady, Bonilla said, “She has been accused of diverting funds from the DIF, a situation that becomes delicate since the (agency manages) resources that belong to families, girls and boys and social programs.”
Ruacho was summoned to appear before the Attorney General’s Office, but that has not occurred, Bonilla said.
“It is not a witch hunt, it is justice, and this is what people ask me every day,” Bonilla added. “During the campaign, we said that we were going to arrive and clarify (the administration), whoever falls.”
Leaders of the conservative National Action Party (PAN), to which Vega belongs to, reminded the public that the institution has called for an investigation and, if any violations are found, it will hold accountable those involved in the scheme.
“I told the PAN people many times that they can hide the hand with which they steal, but not the hand with which they spend, and they have spent a lot of money,” Bonilla said. “If (PAN leaders) wanted things to be done well (referring to the former governor) they would not have allowed their party or their members (who held office) to steal as they stole.”