[Sportschosun Reporter Jang Jong-ho] Allegations are growing that a female mayor in Mexico staged her own kidnapping to conceal embezzlement.
According to local media outlets including Milenio, Nancy Nápoles Pacheco, the 42-year-old mayor of Tenancingo in the State of Mexico, was abducted by three armed men outside her home in late May and was found shortly afterward on a nearby road. Nápoles was rescued safely after asking a passerby to contact her husband.
In a police investigation, Nápoles claimed that the kidnappers threatened to kill her and her family and demanded 40 million pesos, or about 3.5 billion won, for her release. She also testified that the abductors said, "If you don't have the money, get it from the city council budget." She later explained that she escaped when their guard was lowered.
However, Mexican authorities, who investigated the case for several months, found inconsistencies in her account.
The kidnappers, who were arrested by police, testified that Nápoles' husband and older brother had paid them to stage the abduction.
Investigators suspect they tried to cover up prior embezzlement of public funds by having 40 million pesos paid out from the city budget as ransom.
The investigation found that Nápoles' husband and older brother had exchanged messages and calls with the kidnappers about 150 times before the alleged abduction. Phone records reportedly included an offer from the husband to pay 500,000 pesos, or about 44 million won, for the crime.
Nápoles' husband and older brother are currently missing, and investigators believe they have fled and are tracking them down.
Nápoles, meanwhile, is denying all allegations. She said the case was a plot to destroy her political standing and stated, "Nothing like that happened, and the city's finances are in sound condition." She has also filed complaints against journalists and civic activists who have continued to raise suspicions of a staged kidnapping, citing defamation and other charges.
The Morena Party, which she belongs to, emphasized, "We will first wait for the results of the investigation, and if the allegations turn out to be true, we will take strong measures, including expulsion from the party."
Reporter Jang Jong-ho bellho@sportschosun.com
