Wanted Former Mexican Official Takes Refuge in Israel; Holy Land Refuses to Cooperate With Mexico

After being accused of compromising the investigation of a mass abduction, the refuge taken by a former top official of Mexico in Israel while waiting for his extradition case was mired in a diplomatic scramble over the treatment of Palestinians by Israel, Mexican and Israeli officials stated.

Tomás Zerón de Lucio, the former director of Mexico's equivalent of the F.B.I., was accused by Mexican authorities for the abduction, torture and tampering with evidence in the investigation into the disappearance of 43 students in the country in 2014. The former Mexican director was also allegedly part of embezzling around $50 million in state funds in another case.

According to The New York Times, Zerón stated that the charges were false accusations and were politically motivated. The former Mexican director has applied for asylum in Israel, where he has lived for almost two years. So far, Israel has not acted on either Tomás Zerón de Lucio's asylum or the Mexican government's request for the former official's extradition.

Meanwhile, Israel has not commented publicly regarding Zerón's case but one of its senior Israeli officials stated that it was being slow-walked against Mexico.

However, the possible involvement of Israel would dismay not only Mexican officials, but also human rights organizations and the families of the massacre victims. The said groups are still seeking the truth regarding the disappearance of their loved ones in Mexico in 2014.

Mexico has supported the United Nations in their inquiries into allegations of war crimes committed by Israel against Palestinians which resulted to international conflict.

Moreover, the senior Israeli official stated that there's no reason for helping Mexico. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity to offer a candid view of a diplomatic dispute. The anonymous official also stated that there may be merit in the asylum claim of Zerón. The asylum was still being investigated by the Israeli authorities.

Zerón was the former director of Mexico's Criminal Investigation Agency. The former Mexican official was best known for leading the campaign that led to the 2014 capture of the drug kingpin Joaquín Guzmán, also known as "El Chapo."

Discrediting Mexico's Criminal Investigation Agency Director

When the current Mexican president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, took office in 2018, López Obrador promised to reopen the case 2014 iguala mass kidnapping. The investigation of the Mexican government resulted in the discovery of the remains of two of the students. The government has sought the arrest of dozens of involved individuals linked to the case, including Zerón, Haaretz reported.

Zerón, being considered as one of the nation's top law enforcement officers, was assigned to lead the investigation into the kidnapping and presumed massacre of 43 students from a teachers' college in Ayotzinapa.

The college was located in Guerrero state and the kidnapping incident happened on Sept. 26, 2014. Based on a report, students were forced off buses by local police officers in the city of Iguala, where they were taken away using police vehicles. The students disappeared and were never seen again after the incident.

The efforts of Zerón in conducting an investigation regarding the abducted sudents was disregarded by a panel of international investigators. Based on the panel, evidence was mishandled by the official in the case.

Also, Zerón's decision of removing the presence of soldiers and federal police officers at the area drew suspicions from the government. Zeron said that he wanted to remove the force in the area because the attack was strictly a local matter which involved a corrupt local police force.

This article is owned by Latin Post

Written by Jess Smith