Sinaloa Governor Rubén Rocha Moya Takes Temporary Leave After U.S. Accusations

Why did Rocha Moya say he was stepping down temporarily?

Rocha said he requested temporary leave so Mexican authorities could carry out their investigation and so he could focus on responding to the accusations against him; he also said he was innocent EL PAÍS,NYT,Deutsche Welle.

What are U.S. authorities alleging?

According to the cited reports, U.S. prosecutors accused Rocha of helping the Sinaloa cartel and included him in a case with nine other officials or former officials; some reports say the allegations involve the cartel faction known as Los Chapitos NYT,El Comercio Perú,El Financiero.

What happens next in Sinaloa?

After Rocha submitted his leave request, the Sinaloa Congress approved it and began the process of naming a provisional governor to keep the state administration running during his absence El Universal,El Universal,El Comercio Perú.