Mexico’s president condemns governor’s brief return to office

What the report says

Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum has publicly criticised Sinaloa Governor Ruben Rocha Moya after he briefly returned to office and then asked for another indefinite leave. In comments reported by Al Jazeera, Sheinbaum described the move as reckless and inappropriate, saying she had not known in advance that Rocha planned to resume his duties. Rocha, who has been absent from office for much of the year, faces a domestic investigation linked to US drug-trafficking allegations and has denied wrongdoing.

Rocha, 77, announced on social media that he was back in office with a clear conscience, but the decision quickly drew pushback from within his own Morena party. Party leaders said the return was a personal decision and urged restraint while the case is examined. The Sinaloa state congress is expected to name an interim governor this week.

According to the article, US federal prosecutors charged Rocha in April with bribery and with helping a faction of the Sinaloa Cartel move drugs into the United States. He is described as the first sitting Mexican governor to face US drug-trafficking charges. The case has intensified friction between Washington and Mexico City, with Sheinbaum rejecting demands for arrest and extradition without what she called credible evidence.

The episode is politically sensitive because Sinaloa has been affected by cartel violence and because Rocha is a prominent figure in the governing political bloc. The broader allegations also form part of a wider US crackdown on alleged cartel influence in Mexico.