When the woman threatened to go to the police, Salgado laughed and said he was too powerful to overthrow, according to the investigation process opened by the attorney general’s office.
The state’s attorney general at the time, Xavier Oléa, said in an interview that the woman handed over the photos that Salgado sent her of the rape and text messages in which he threatened to kill her if she went to the authorities. Oléa said she thought there was enough evidence to prosecute.
But Guerrero’s governor told him to drop the case, said Oléa, repeating a statement he made to the Mexican media. The governor’s spokesman declined to comment.
“He told me not to go ahead with this; otherwise, the current president would go to the jugular ”, said Oléa, referring to López Obrador.
A spokesman for the president declined to comment.
In a press release, Guerrero’s attorney general’s office said the investigation into the woman’s allegations was “under review”. The office said Oléa was “solely responsible for deciding and coordinating investigations” while he was the state’s main prosecutor.
Castañeda said he submitted his own statement to Guerrero’s attorney general in November, shortly before Salgado was named as a candidate. She said she also filed the complaints with the president’s party, which confirmed receipt of them in an internal document obtained by The Times. Ms. Castañeda is being represented by Mr. Oléa, the former attorney general, now in private practice.
Last month, the current attorney general’s office informed Ms. Castañeda that she would not pursue her case because the statute of limitations had been approved, according to a letter sent to her by The Times. The attorney general’s office did not respond to requests for comment.
“Many years have passed, but I am here,” said Castañeda. “The pain is still here.”
Oscar Lopez contributed a report from Mexico City.