Ángel Aguirre Rivero accused of ordering Ayotzinapa evidence destruction

New investigations into the 2014 Ayotzinapa case implicate former Guerrero Governor Ángel Aguirre Rivero in an alleged conspiracy to destroy evidence. According to court documents and testimonies, Aguirre Rivero reportedly ordered his inner circle to erase videos and other proof from the Iguala Justice Palace that captured the kidnapping of the 43 normalista students.

The prosecution alleges that the destruction of evidence was intended to conceal Aguirre Rivero’s links to the criminal group Guerreros Unidos and to hide instructions he may have given to state and municipal police to execute the students. Testimonies from Blanca María del Rocío Estrada Ortega, a former official of the State Superior Court of Justice, suggest that Aguirre Rivero used his influence over police and criminal organizations to ensure his orders were followed.

Specific officials named in the investigation include Iñaki Blanco Cabrera, former Attorney General; Jesús Martínez Garnelo, former Secretary of Government; and Lambertina Galeana Marín, former president of the State Superior Court of Justice. Galeana Marín is currently under house arrest, while other officials are reportedly negotiating with the Federal Attorney General’s Office (FGR).