Morena Senator Gerardo Fernández Noroña is one of the most controversial and high-profile figures in Mexican politics, known for his confrontational rhetoric and constant scandals related to austerity.
Amid multiple controversies over his assets, the legislator announced this Monday that he will request a leave of absence from his post starting this Thursday, October 24, until November 2.
His separation has sparked speculation about possible legal problems in the United States.
Is the US investigating Noroña?
Speculation about Fernández Noroña’s legal status in the United States intensified this Monday following a post on social media.
Political analyst and former Undersecretary of Tourism Planning of Mexico, Simón Levy, wrote through his X account that Fernández Noroña has been directly charged with alleged money laundering and drug trafficking in the United States.
“I’ll give you a heads-up: Gerardo Fernández Noroña will request leave from the Mexican Senate. He knows he has direct charges related to money laundering and drug trafficking in the US. He also knows he can no longer travel to the US. Another one falls. I play bowling, only hitting balls,” the post reads.
For his part, Fernández Noroña confirmed that he will request leave from the Senate; however, the official reason is different from that stated by Levy.
The legislator revealed in his press conference this Tuesday that he will take a nine-day trip to Palestine, arguing that it is a “task” he must attend to, and denied that his decision was due to pressure or scandals.
Speculation about Fernández Noroña’s immigration status in the United States is not new.
Previously, the possibility of the US government revoking his visa had been a topic of debate.
This is because other politicians from the ruling party have already been sanctioned in this way, including:
Marina del Pilar Ávila, governor of Baja California, and her current husband, Carlos Torres Torres;
Juan Francisco Gim, mayor of Nogales, Sonora;
Óscar Eduardo Castro Castro, mayor of Puerto Peñasco, Sonora;
Alberto Granados Fávila, mayor of Matamoros, Tamaulipas; among other Morena legislators.
However, through his YouTube account, the legislator clarified at the time that he does have the document.
“Of course I have one. Are you saying they revoked my visa? You’re lying. Levy, I didn’t know you were such a flippant person; you’re very irresponsible,” Fernández Noroña claimed.
Fernández Noroña’s requested leave of absence comes amid a series of scandals that have called into question his austerity rhetoric, a fundamental principle of the Fourth Transformation.
On October 8, the newspaper Reforma revealed that the senator rented a luxury private plane to travel to three different locations in the state of Coahuila. The rental cost was estimated at more than 250,000 pesos.
In the face of criticism, the legislator defended his use of the “air taxi” and refused to disclose the cost, claiming it was not paid for with public funds.
In March of this year, the senator was accused of traveling to France on an Air France business class flight, spending an estimated 160,000 pesos on the ticket alone.
The incident was widely criticized for its opulence, which contrasts with the discourse of “republican austerity.”
However, the controversy that generated the most debate was the legislator’s multimillion-dollar property.
Last August, it was revealed that the legislator had purchased a house in Tepoztlán, Morelos, valued at more than 12 million pesos.
Given this situation, the controversy surrounding the legislator centered on how, with his income, Fernández Noroña was able to access such a large mortgage loan.
His lack of transparency toward the people of Mexico represents one of the greatest contradictions of his career and the movement he represents.
Source: politico
