The imputación hearing against former Baja California Governor Jaime Bonilla was postponed for the fourteenth consecutive time on Monday after his legal team requested yet another delay. The session had been scheduled for noon on March 9 at the state courthouse in Mexicali.
Bonilla appeared in person but his new attorneys, who now include former state Central Prosecutor Hiram Sánchez, argued they had just joined the case and needed more time to review the file. The judge granted the postponement but warned he would take note of the pattern if the defense team changes again. The hearing was rescheduled for March 18.
The charges stem from Bonilla’s time as governor and involve the alleged misuse of public authority related to the construction of a photovoltaic energy plant. The state prosecutor’s office (Fiscalía General del Estado) has pursued the case for months, but Bonilla’s defense has cycled through multiple attorneys and procedural motions to delay the proceedings. At one earlier hearing, a postponement was granted because Bonilla’s lawyer claimed a sprained ankle, according to reporting by Proceso.
The FGE sought an order of apprehension after Bonilla failed to appear at his twelfth hearing on March 5, but the judge instead issued a lesser order of presentation. The prosecution argued that the repeated absences and legal team changes constituted a pattern of deliberate obstruction.
Bonilla governed Baja California from 2019 to 2021 during a controversial term that included an attempt to extend his mandate from two years to six. He was expelled from the Morena party in 2023. He holds dual U.S.-Mexico citizenship and lived in San Diego for decades before entering Mexican politics, a background that made him an unusual figure in Baja California’s political landscape.