{"id":5458,"date":"2017-10-19T13:53:17","date_gmt":"2017-10-19T10:53:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/anticorr.media\/?p=5458"},"modified":"2017-10-20T17:49:29","modified_gmt":"2017-10-20T14:49:29","slug":"beglyj-byvshij-gubernator-meksikanskogo-shtata-chiuaua-ukral-korov","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/anticorr.media\/en\/beglyj-byvshij-gubernator-meksikanskogo-shtata-chiuaua-ukral-korov\/","title":{"rendered":"Mexico corruption: Fugitive Chihuahua official ‘stole cows’"},"content":{"rendered":"

This material belongs to: BBC<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The ex-governor of the northern Mexican state of Chihuahua<\/a>, C\u00e9sar Duarte<\/a>, is suspected of stealing hundreds of cows bought with public money.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Mr Duarte was declared a fugitive after leaving Mexico in March when he was accused of embezzling millions of pesos.<\/strong><\/p>\n

He is believed to be hiding in the US.<\/p>\n

The latest allegations against him surfaced in official documents published by a non-governmental organisation fighting corruption.<\/p>\n

While Mexicans are used to politicians being involved in multi-million corruption scandals, these latest allegations have caused outrage because they illustrate how the most needy are often the ones to suffer.<\/p>\n

The cattle were bought with public funds and imported from New Zealand in 2015.<\/p>\n

The animals were meant to be handed over to small-scale ranchers in Chihuahua to repopulate their herds, which had been decimated by a drought.<\/p>\n

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Herds in Chihuahua had been hit by a drought and small-scale ranchers were struggling. Source: AFP.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

But the documents suggest that 903 out of the 1,408 animals imported into Chihuahua were taken to a ranch owned by Mr Duarte, with hundreds more being given to close political associates of his.<\/p>\n

According to the investigation by\u00a0Mexicans Against Corruption and Impunity<\/a>, only 150 animals were given to needy ranchers.<\/p>\n

In October 2016, Mexican newspaper Proceso and La Jornada<\/a> reported that 345 of the cows from New Zealand had been taken to Mr Duarte’s ranch.<\/p>\n

But the official documents released by Mexicans Against Corruption and Impunity<\/a> suggest the total number was more than double that.<\/p>\n

The NGO spoke to two small-scale ranchers who had taken out loans to buy some of the cattle. They said they had paid out the money but the animals never arrived.<\/p>\n

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Interpol are searching for Mr Duarte. Source: Interpol.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Lavish lifestyle<\/h3>\n

Mr Duarte, from the governing PRI<\/a> party, was governor of Chihuahua from October 2010 to October 2016.<\/p>\n

He was known for his lavish lifestyle and is accused of using an official helicopter to fly friends and family to his ranch at weekends.<\/p>\n

He is suspected of embezzling 79m pesos ($4.2m; \u00a33.2m) during his six-year term and channelling the money into his party’s coffers.<\/p>\n

His successor in office, Javier Corral<\/a> from the rival PAN<\/a> party, ran on a promise to bring Mr Duarte to justice.<\/p>\n

Mr Duarte has been spotted in Texas, New Mexico and Florida.<\/p>\n

He is one of a number of high-ranking fugitive former PRI politicians facing corruption charges:<\/p>\n