Sheinbaum defends former Navy chief’s absence from fuel-smuggling hearing

President Claudia Sheinbaum said former Navy Secretary Rafael Ojeda Durán is neither hiding nor under investigation, after he did not appear on August 28 to testify in a fuel-smuggling case involving his political nephew, Fernando “N.” Sheinbaum said on September 18 that Ojeda has no criminal case against him and was summoned as a witness, not as a defendant. According to El Financiero, the former official will decide whether to testify and how to respond.

The Federal Attorney General’s Office (FGR) said it had been unable to locate Ojeda for the hearing. Sheinbaum said a defense team requested his testimony and that prosecutors were reviewing the matter. The former Navy secretary’s possible testimony concerns what he knew about alleged irregularities in a fuel-smuggling network, when he learned of them, what information he received from Fernando Farías and what actions he took.

In August, after Fernando “N.” was extradited, Attorney General Ernestina Godoy said Ojeda had warned about the network’s existence. Godoy said that in 2024 Ojeda had conveyed indications of the network’s operations, after which federal prosecutors opened an investigation that year. El Financiero reported that the defense of Manuel Roberto and Fernando Farías continues to seek Ojeda’s testimony, while attorney Epigmenio Mendieta Valdez has argued that Fernando Farías himself reported Ojeda in connection with the alleged network. The government has denied that Ojeda was involved, despite arrests of Navy, Customs and other officials. The source article was published September 18, 2026: https://www.elfinanciero.com.mx/nacional/2026/09/18/no-esta-escondido-sheinbaum-responde-por-que-rafael-ojeda-no-acudio-a-declarar-por-huachicol-fiscal