Overview
- The hearing was held on November 11 at Mexico City’s Reclusorio Norte before Judge Ángela Zamorano Herrera.
- Duarte’s defense called penitentiary officials as witnesses and entered 24 pieces of evidence to argue he meets legal criteria for anticipatory release.
- The Fiscalía General de la República presented 12 opposing elements and asked to continue next week so six prosecution witnesses, including three from Veracruz’s state prosecutor’s office, can testify.
- The judge noted that an electoral case and three Veracruz investigations have been closed, a point relevant to evaluating eligibility.
- Duarte was sentenced in 2018 to nine years for association and money laundering; the defense says he has served over 95% with good conduct, and if early release is denied he is projected to leave prison in April 2026, with audits citing 62 billion pesos in irregularities during his administration as broader context.