MEXICALI BRIEFS: Former Baja California Governor faces charges over failed solar plant project
COURTS
Former Baja California Governor faces charges over failed solar plant project
Prosecutors in Baja California have formally moved forward with a criminal investigation into former Governor Jaime Bonilla Valdez, accusing the former official of abuse of authority and embezzlement related to a controversial, multi-million dollar solar power project.
The investigation centers on a contract signed during Bonilla’s 2019–2021 administration with the company Next Energy. Prosecutors allege Bonilla used his constitutional powers to illicitly structure a deal for a photovoltaic plant that not only lacked federal permits but also threatened to saddle the state with debt for three decades, La Voz newspaper reported.
The initial hearing, originally scheduled for the Río Nuevo Justice Center in Mexicali, took an unexpected turn when a power outage forced officials to relocate the proceedings to Judicial Power offices.
The irony was not lost on the former governor. Bonilla, known for a populist and sometimes blunt style, joked to reporters about the blackout. “I was thinking just now, maybe if we’d had that solar plant, the power wouldn’t have gone out where we were,” he said.
Beyond the humor, the legal stakes are high. The Ministry of Public Revenue argued in court that Bonilla acted with “willful intent,” overstepping his legal attributes to facilitate a contract that compromised state resources.
Key points of the prosecution’s case include:
- Illegal Indebtedness: The project allegedly committed the state to payments of 37 million pesos (roughly $2.1 million USD) per month for 30 years.
- Federal Overreach: Authorities claim the state attempted to regulate energy matters that fall strictly under federal jurisdiction.
- Financial Loss: In 2022, a bank withheld 123 million pesos in federal funds from the state as a first payment for the project—despite the fact that no construction had occurred.
The current state administration cancelled the project, labeling it “harmful” to the state coffers. While the withheld funds (plus interest totaling approximately 172 million pesos) were eventually returned to the state in July 2025, the criminal implications remain.
Bonilla is the highest-profile figure in a sprawling case that now involves 10 individuals. The list of defendants includes six former public servants and two private citizens associated with Next Energy.
Additionally, two fiduciary delegates from the bank involved in the financing, who had been fugitives since 2023, were apprehended earlier this year.
The court is expected to rule on whether to formally bind Bonilla to trial following the conclusion of the initial hearings.
CITY
Mexicali Police Academy nears federal certification to train new officers
The Mexicali Police Academy is entering the final stages of a federal certification process that would officially authorize the facility to train the next generation of law enforcement officers, city officials announced.
The academy is preparing for an upcoming inspection by the Executive Secretariat of the National Public Security System (SESNSP). This evaluation is the final hurdle in securing a “Type A” certification, the highest standard for police training centers in Mexico, La Crónica newspaper reported.
Luis Felipe Chan Baltazar, Mexicali’s Director of Municipal Public Security, said the city is coordinating with federal authorities to schedule the site visit within the coming weeks.
“We are managing the process so that by the end of this month or early April, personnel from the Department can come to evaluate our progress,” Chan Baltazar said. “Our goal is to achieve the Type A certification.”
The director noted that while the academy is nearly ready for the rigorous review, one major technical requirement remains: the completion of a dedicated firing range.
“We are practically there,” he said. “The final piece is the shooting range, which we are currently working on.” Officials have not yet finalized a specific location for the firing range facility.
The new academy is slated for a site in the Misión San Carlos neighborhood, a property recently returned to the city by the state government.
The Mexicali City Council has already approved a budget of 50 million pesos (approximately $2.9 million USD) for the project. However, the development comes amid a shift in federal priorities. New national guidelines now place a higher emphasis on the quality of academic curriculum and instructor training over physical buildings and “bricks-and-mortar” infrastructure.
Once certified, the academy will provide Mexicali with a permanent, locally controlled pipeline for recruiting and training officers, reducing reliance on state-run facilities and addressing the city’s long-term staffing needs.
– Staff Report,