Two political allies of Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum's party have resigned from their official posts, following a US indictment that has linked them to the Sinaloa cartel.
Sinaloa Governor Ruben Rocha Moya and the mayor of the state capital of Culiacan, Juan de Dios Gámez Mendivil, both stepped aside on Saturday, although they denied the charges against them, News.Az reports, citing Deutsche Welle.
Rocha Moya is the highest-ranking official named in the US indictment, where he has been accused of protecting the powerful Sinaloa cartel and helping it smuggle drugs into the United States, allegedly taking in millions of dollars in bribes.
"My conscience is clear," Rocha Moya said. "To my people and to my family, I can look you in the eye because I have never betrayed you, and I never will," he added.
He said he stepped down as a temporary leave of absence to defend himself against what he called "false and malicious" allegations and to cooperate with the Mexican government's investigation.
Rocha Moya has implied that the accusations against him are an attempt to harm the left-leaning Morena party.
"I will not allow myself to be used to harm the movement to which I belong — one that has improved the lives of millions of Mexican men and women," Rocha Moya said. Sheinbaum demands 'solid' evidence
The US indictment of 10 Mexican officials comes as US President Donald Trump's administration has sought to put pressure on the Mexican government to crack down on drug trafficking and cartels.
Last week, the Mexican government expressed concern about the presence of two US agents, reportedly CIA personnel, who participated in a drug bust operation without the government's permission. The agents died in a car accident during the operation.
President Sheinbaum has carefully sought to strike a balance between the interests of her progressive Morena party and the demands coming from Washington.
Sheinbaum responded to the indictment on Friday by saying she was not convinced about the case against Rocha, demanding that the US present "solid and irrefutable" evidence against him.
But she did announce that Mexican authorities would investigate the cases and gather their own information, saying the officials must stand trial in Mexico first.
"We will never subordinate ourselves because this is a matter of the dignity of the Mexican people," Sheinbaum said.
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