By Paula Buzzi
Impunity Watch Reporter, South America
MEXICO CITY, Mexico – Former mayor of Tijuana, Jorge Hank Rhon, was formally charged on Wednesday by Federal Prosecutors in Mexico with possession of prohibited weapons. According to military officials, 88 firearms and between 8,000 and 9,000 ammunition rounds were seized in the raid of Hank’s vast compound in Tijuana. Most of the guns were limited by law to use solely by the armed forces.
Former Tijuana mayor charged in weapons case. (Photo courtesy of The Washington Post).
Hank’s attorneys have suggested that the confiscated weapons were properly licensed and legitimate methods to protect the former mayor’s business interests. They also stated that some of the weapons are thought to have been planted.
From 2004 to 2007, Hank served as the mayor of Tijuana. He is currently one of the country’s wealthiest men, having inherited his father’s fortune. His father, Carlos Hank Gonzalez, formerly served as the governor of Mexico and a powerbroker of the then ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI).
Hank’s position as a major figure within the PRI, the now opposition party in Mexico, has led to allegations by its members that his arrest was a politically motivated move orchestrated by the conservative National Action Party, or PAN. PAN is currently President Calderon’s party and is far behind PRI in the early polls for the 2012 elections.
Hank’s arrest sparked a whirlwind of protests in Tijuana last week. Dressed in red and yelling “Viva Hank,” thousands of his supporters gathered demanding Hank’s release. One large banner read “The anonymous tip came from Los Pinos,” referring to President Calderon’s residence.
Calderon officials denied any involvement.
“There is no witch hunt, of course not. Every case is supported by evidence,” stated Mexico’s attorney general, Marisela Morales.
Columnist Martin Moreno was in support of Hank’s arrest. “Let’s not confuse ourselves, Jorge Hank Rhon … represents the PRI and is the emblem of the abuses, corruption and decadence of PRI-ism,” he wrote in his column in the Daily Excelsior.
Pablo Salazar Mendiguchia, former governor of Chiapas, joins Hank Rohn among politicians facing criminal charges. Mendiguchia was arrested in Cancun on Tuesday on charges of stealing $9 million from public funds before leaving office in 2006.
For more information, please see:
Los Angeles Times World —Raid puts Mexican casino mogul in sympathetic light —12 June 2011
BBC News —Ex-Tijuana mayor Hank Rhon on weapon charges—8 June 2011
Los Angeles Times — Mexico authorities return former mayor to Tijuana to face arms charges —8 June 2011
The Washington Post —Former Tijuana mayor charged in weapons case —8 June 2011
