Federal prosecutors in 21 of Mexico’s 31 states have resigned en masse from their posts, according to a statement from the Attorney General’s Office.
State office coordinator, Rosa Elena Torres Davila, revealed in a short announcement that the resignations were received on July 29, without going into further detail. Torres said the Attorney General’s Office will begin the search for replacements with immediate effect.
Those resigning include prosecutors in Mexico City as well as Michoacan, Sinaloa and Tamaulipas, some of Mexico’s most violent states, where criminal gangs and drug traffickers often operate with impunity.
The Attorney General’s Office is a key agency in Mexico’s fight against organized crime, investigating drugs and weapons trafficking, and initiating court proceedings against suspected criminals.
Attorney General Marisela Morales, who took office in April, has seen a number high-profile prosecutions collapse, including a case against the former mayor of Tijuana, who was suspected of links to the Sinaloa Cartel.
In a brief written statement to the media, Morales said “purging is fundamental within the Attorney General's Office,” adding "the Mexico of today requires that those of us in public office act with total commitment and responsibility of service."
The mass resignation comes only weeks after the Attorney General’s Office announced that it would investigate up to 700 state employees suspected of corruption.
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