A federal court in Mexico has ruled against granting an amparo to José Antonio Bernal Bustamante, the former head of the Michoacán Public Security Secretariat. He has been detained at the East Prison in Mexico City due to charges related to misappropriation of funds, particularly concerning overpriced purchases of barracks for the Civil Guard. This decision comes as part of a wider investigation involving former Michoacán governor Silvano Aureoles Conejo and other officials, collectively accused of engaging in financial improprieties amounting to over 3.4 billion pesos.

The Fiscalía General de la República (FGR) has implicated Bernal Bustamante alongside his associates in a significant financial scandal. The court’s ruling maintains his preventive detention, which was established due to concerns about his potential evasion of justice and the severity of the allegations against him, which include embezzlement, money laundering, criminal association, and fraudulent administration. The court's confirmation of preventive detention illustrates the ongoing efforts by Mexican authorities to address corruption and misuse of public funds within state administration.

Bernal Bustamante sought the amparo in an attempt to overturn his preventive detention, claiming that the legal process against him was flawed. Nevertheless, the Second Collegiate Tribunal of Appeals in Criminal Matters upheld the legal foundations for his continued imprisonment. This ruling is pivotal not only for Bernal Bustamante's individual case but also for the broader narrative of holding government officials accountable for corruption and financial crimes in Mexico, highlighting the judiciary's role in combating systemic misconduct among former officials.