Former La Paz Mayor Rubén Muñoz Álvarez and his ex-comptroller are facing embezzlement and illicit public service charges as their corruption case moves forward in Baja California Sur courts. Mexico News Daily reported the proceedings are part of a broader push by state prosecutors to hold former municipal officials accountable.
Muñoz, who served as mayor of La Paz and later as a federal congressman, was first accused by members of his own MORENA party of approving a 25 percent salary increase for himself and council members without proper consensus. The current charges go further, alleging misuse of public funds during his administration.
The case has drawn attention in La Paz because Muñoz had been signaling interest in returning to politics ahead of the 2027 elections. A conviction would end those ambitions. But the trial is still in its early stages, and no verdict has been reached.
For the English-speaking community in La Paz — which includes a sizable expat population of retirees and remote workers — the case is a test of whether Baja California Sur’s judicial system will follow through on corruption prosecutions or let them stall as similar cases have in the past.
The next hearing has not been publicly scheduled. The La Paz municipal government has not commented on the proceedings.