299
Mexico City, May 1
Mexico’s congress voted Friday to impeach the current governor of the border state of Tamaulipas on charges of tax evasion, money laundering and organised crime.
But the state legislature in Tamaulipas, a cartel-plagued state across from Texas, voted not to recognise the action by the federal congress and reaffirm Francisco Garcia Cabeza de Vaca as governor. His term ends next year.
It is unclear if the state legislature’s move would hold up in courts. It seemed likely the issue could go to the Supreme Court.
The lower house of the federal congress voted earlier Friday to remove Cabeza de Vaca’s immunity from prosecution, a process similar to impeachment. He is the latest in a string of Tamaulipas governors accused of wrongdoing or corruption.