**New Prosecutor General Appointed in Guanajuato**
On February 3, 2025, the Congress of Guanajuato appointed Gerardo Vázquez Alatriste as the new head of the State Attorney General’s Office (FGE) for a term of seven years. Previously serving as a delegate of the Federal Prosecution in Guanajuato, Vázquez Alatriste secured the required majority on the third ballot, with backing from several parties including the National Action Party (PAN), Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI), Green Party (PVEM), Citizen Movement (MC), and the Labor Party (PT).
However, the 11 members of the Morena party in the Guanajuato Congress abstained from the vote, expressing disapproval of Vázquez Alatriste’s candidacy, which they intended to challenge legally.
During a hearing with local legislators on January 28, Vázquez Alatriste highlighted his 38-year career in ministerial activities undertaken across several states including Baja California, Sonora, and Mexico City. He takes pride in his early achievements, having become the youngest public prosecutor in 1989 and later, the youngest delegate in Mexico’s former Attorney General’s Office.
In the selection process, Zucé Anastasia Hernández Martínez and Israel Aguado Silva were the other candidates considered, with Hernández Martínez previously holding the interim lead at the state prosecution office.
**Guanajuato’s Former Prosecutor Departs Amid Controversy**
Carlos Zamarripa Aguirre stepped down as the head of the Guanajuato State Prosecutor’s Office on January 1, 2025, after nearly 16 years in the role. The governor of Guanajuato, Libia Dennise García Muñoz Ledo, acting swiftly, appointed Zucé Anastacia Hernández Martínez as the interim head until a permanent appointment could be made.
Notably, Zamarripa’s tenure has been marred by a 2021 investigation led by Mexico’s Financial Intelligence Unit (UIF), scrutinizing his financial dealings and those of his associates. The investigation, sparked by detected banking irregularities, led to the freezing of accounts linked to Francisco Isidro González Espejel, a businessman reportedly tied to Zamarripa.
The investigation extended to evaluate financial transactions dating back to 2012, involving Zamarripa’s relatives and several business figures potentially associated with him. Despite these allegations, no conclusive revelations dismantled his financial standing, although suspicions of illicit financial strategies remained.
Public demand for change had been echoed on multiple occasions by Mexico’s President at the time, who attributed Guanajuato’s persistent violence, particularly its homicide rates, to the inefficacy of the state’s prosecutorial leadership.
**Additional Updates**
In related news, the current geopolitical landscape and domestic policies continue to evolve:
– The United States paused tariffs on Mexico until March 4, owing to diplomatic dialogue.
– In a striking geopolitical move, El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele suggested incarcerating U.S. inmates on behalf of the United States, which began sending prisoners to Guantanamo.
– Claudia Sheinbaum deployed 10,000 National Guard troops to the U.S. border, assuring Mexico’s continued security efforts.
– Investigations are underway into a mass homicide in San Luis Río Colorado by Mexican authorities.
– U.S. military aircraft reportedly flew over international waters off Sinaloa’s coast, as confirmed by the Mexican defense department.
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