Ernesto Ruffo Appel has secured a definitive judicial suspension halting the oral trial phase in his ongoing criminal prosecution for organized crime and fuel smuggling. Azucena Lazalde Íñiguez, a federal judge heading the Second District Court in Criminal Matters in the State of Mexico, granted the measure within amparo proceeding 1085/2026, as documented by judicial records from the Judicial Administration Organ.
How the Amparo Stops the Penal Process
The definitive suspension preserves the criminal cause in its intermediate stage, strictly prohibiting authorities from issuing the order opening the oral trial. This legal shield remains in effect until the underlying constitutional amparo reaches a final resolution on its merits. The defense challenges the formal bind-to-process order originally issued in July by Alejandra Ramírez de la Vega, a control judge at the Federal Penal Justice Center in Altiplano, as reported by López-Dóriga Digital.
While the injunction pauses procedural momentum, it does not vacate the underlying indictment or evaluate the core evidence. The Attorney General’s Office maintains its formal accusations, ensuring the criminal case stands ready to resume once the amparo concludes. The defense attorney, Santiago Villarreal Boullosa, continues utilizing constitutional avenues to challenge the evidentiary basis put forward by federal prosecutors.
The Fuel Smuggling Case and the Ingemar Connection
Federal prosecutors allege that the 74-year-old former governor participated in an illegal fuel importation network. Investigators identify him as a founding partner and secretary of the Board of Directors for Ingemar, a firm accused of illegally importing gasoline and diesel while evading federal tax contributions. The alleged financial damage to the national treasury is estimated at four billion pesos.
The legal battle surrounding the case has navigated multiple judicial desks to prevent conflicting rulings. The expediente was assigned to Lazalde Íñiguez because she previously handled an earlier amparo filed by the defense, which successfully challenged authorities over home detention restrictions. That prior injunction became moot after a presiding judge authorized house arrest in late September, taking into account the defendant’s advanced age and medical condition.
House Arrest and Current Legal Standing
Ruffo Appel currently serves his preventive detention under home guard conditions in Ensenada, Baja California. The transfer followed a period of two and a half months inside the high-security Altiplano federal prison. Elements of the National Guard oversee his residence while the broader legal challenges move through the federal court system.
For now, the timeline for the case remains frozen in the intermediate phase, awaiting further instruction from the district court.
