On August 21st, Ruben Rocha returned to the office of Governor of the state of Sinaloa. Rocha had been on a leave of absence after he was indicted by a U.S. federal court for collaboration with the the Chapitos faction of the Sinaloa Cartel. (See Ruben Rocha Returns to the Office of Governor of Sinaloa).
Ruben Rocha Moya.
Source: Instagram rochamoya
So Rocha returned to office on August 21st. But on August 22nd, he asked for another leave of absence.
From CBS News: “The governor of a Mexican state who is wanted by the United States on drug trafficking charges abruptly stepped down from his role, one day after returning to office. Sinaloa Gov. Ruben Rocha Moya said in a social media post on Friday [August 21st] that he was resuming leadership of the northwestern state, a role he stepped away from in May to face an investigation by Mexican prosecutors. On Saturday [August 22nd], less than a day later, he shared a document on X asking the state congress to authorize ‘a temporary leave of absence of indefinite duration, exceeding 30 days.’ ”
On the 23rd of August, a Sunday, the Sinaloa legislature held a special session and gave Rocha permission to step down temporarily.
From Excelsior: “The Sinaloa legislature unanimously approved a new, indefinite leave of absence for Ruben Rocha Moya, who had scarcely retaken his functions as governor 34 hours earlier to again request a suspension from office.”
The next step?
“With the approval of the state legislature, the process now begins to determine who will be the interim governor of Sinaloa while Rocha is on the leave of absence.”
Stay tuned….