Cuauhtemoc Blanco, a former soccer player and current mayor of a Mexican city, is accused of ordering a murder of a man ahead of a festival earlier this month. Allegations of corruption and misconduct have followed Blanco since he took office last year but contends he had nothing to do with the alleged hit.
Several angles are swirling about, but what appears to be most significant is that local publications Proceso and El Finacerio both shared reports that a man that was detained after the April 6 shooting death of Juan Manuel García Bejarano, reportedly a local businessman in the city of Cuernavaca where Blanco serves as mayor.
The detained man allegedly told authorities that Blanco ordered him to murder Bejarano in what appears to be some manner of cartel rivalry if the news pegs true. Bejarano also organized a local annual street fair and was said to be gunned down just as the event was set to begin.
ESPN reports:
Blanco has been involved in an ongoing spat with Morelos state governor Graco Ramirez, who belongs to a rival political party. Ramirez claimed recently that the killer was involved with cartels.
“I can tell you with absolute responsibility that the man [who carried out the killing at] the procession is detained. He came from Jalisco [state] to kill him, he’s from a cartel and [Garcia] was involved in similar themes,” said Ramirez in a talk with students from the University of Southern California.
Despite the scandals, Blanco — who was spotted at a Chicago Cubs baseball game last week — has vowed to not back down or take a break and will continue in politics.
Blanco spoke with reporters earlier this week, expressing sorrow for Bejarano’s death and expressing that he his worried about the safety of his family after being linked to the murder. The mayor was a popular player with Mexico’s national team and played for the MLS’ Chicago Fire.
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Photo: By Xocoyote at en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, Link
