A federal collegiate court overturned the ruling that had allowed the proceedings against Francisco González Arredondo, former prosecutor specializing in human rights in Chihuahua, to continue, determining that the charges against him lacked sufficient legal grounds to justify his being bound over for trial. The decision questions the manner in which the state prosecutor’s office presented the allegations of alleged psychological torture.
Between 2016 and 2021, González Arredondo headed the so-called Justice Operation for Chihuahua, an initiative implemented during Javier Corral’s administration aimed at probing an alleged scheme concerning the embezzlement of state resources tied to former Governor César Duarte. Following the transition in the state administration, he was detained in November 2022, shifting his role from spearheading anti-corruption probes to defending himself against criminal charges.
The judicial ruling, issued on July 30 in a 109-page decision, states that the prosecutor’s office failed to adequately specify when the alleged acts attributed to the former prosecutor took place. According to the judges, this lack of precision affected González Arredondo’s ability to mount an adequate defense against the charges.
One of the court’s main concerns involved the period used by the Public Prosecutor’s Office to establish when the alleged acts of torture occurred. The charges covered approximately 21 months, from February 2017 to November 2018, but did not identify specific dates, particular circumstances or the role the former prosecutor allegedly played in each of the incidents.
The judges also reviewed recordings of the initial hearings in the proceedings. They observed that the defense repeatedly asked for specific dates to be provided for the alleged acts, while the prosecution continued to refer only to the broad period of nearly two years. The court determined that this lack of specificity directly affected the right to an effective defense.
The ruling also examined the testimony of the person who reported the alleged incidents. The judges found that the account provided an unclear chronology regarding the interrogations, threats and pressures described, without clearly establishing when they occurred or in which of those incidents González Arredondo allegedly participated directly.
The court, composed of Marta Barrios, Mario Gámez and José Cornejo, concluded that the deficiencies concerning the timing and circumstances of the alleged events also made it difficult to determine the former prosecutor’s probable involvement and raised doubts about whether sufficient evidence existed to sustain the charges.
The ruling also incorporated a communication from the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Mexico. During the amparo proceedings, the organization expressed concern that the criminal actions against González Arredondo could constitute retaliation related to his work investigating corruption. The court decided to add the communication to the case file for consideration in its ruling.
González Arredondo had remained in pretrial detention since November 2022 until a federal judge ordered in March 2023 that he continue the proceedings while free. The new ruling represents a setback for the prosecution and significantly changes the former prosecutor’s legal situation, given that his career was closely associated with the anti-corruption investigations carried out during Javier Corral’s administration.
The case has gained relevance in the broader debate over the use of the criminal justice system against public officials and human rights defenders involved in sensitive investigations. The ruling highlights the obligation of authorities to formulate precise charges and respect the procedural guarantees of individuals facing criminal proceedings.
Source: EL PAÍS — https://elpais.com/mexico/2026-08-08/la-justicia-desarma-el-caso-contra-el-fiscal-que-persiguio-la-corrupcion-en-chihuahua.html
