José Francisco Ruiz Massieu
Encyclopedia
José Francisco Ruiz Massieu (Acapulco
, Guerrero
, July 22, 1946 – Mexico City
, September 28, 1994) was a Mexican
political figure. He was governor of Guerrero
from 1987 to 1993. He then served as the secretary-general
of the Institutional Revolutionary Party
(PRI) in 1994. His term ended with his assassination
.
José Francisco Ruiz Massieu was the brother-in-law of Carlos Salinas and was due to become the PRI majority leader in the Chamber of Deputies
. All that changed on September 28, 1994 when he was murdered by a gunman in front of a party building one block from swank Paseo de la Reforma
avenue in downtown Mexico City
.
Manuel Muñoz Rocha was linked to the assassination. Two weeks later, the assistant attorney general investigating the case, Mario Ruiz Massieu, the brother of the assassinated politician, resigned. He asserted that he had proof that high officials in the PRI were blocking his investigation.
On February 28, 1995, Raúl Salinas
, the brother of former President Carlos Salinas, was arrested as the mastermind of the Ruiz Massieu assassination. Three days later Mario Ruiz Massieu was arrested in Newark
, NJ
, USA, boarding a plane to Madrid while carrying USD $46,000 in unreported cash. The government charged him with impeding the investigation of his brother's murder. The government also found seventeen million dollars in U.S. bank accounts linked to Mario Ruiz Massieu.
He was not found deportable.
Mario Ruiz Massieu committed suicide in 1999.
Raúl Salinas was found guilty on January 21, 1999.
On appeal, his sentence was cut to 27 1/2 years.
Acapulco
Acapulco is a city, municipality and major sea port in the state of Guerrero on the Pacific coast of Mexico, southwest from Mexico City. Acapulco is located on a deep, semi-circular bay and has been a port since the early colonial period of Mexico’s history...
, Guerrero
Guerrero
Guerrero officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Guerrero is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 81 municipalities and its capital city is Chilpancingo....
, July 22, 1946 – Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
, September 28, 1994) was a Mexican
Mexican people
Mexican people refers to all persons from Mexico, a multiethnic country in North America, and/or who identify with the Mexican cultural and/or national identity....
political figure. He was governor of Guerrero
Governor of Guerrero
List of governors of Guerrero since it became a state of Mexico in 1917.-See also:* List of Mexican state governors...
from 1987 to 1993. He then served as the secretary-general
Secretary-General
-International intergovernmental organizations:-International nongovernmental organizations:-Sports governing bodies:...
of the Institutional Revolutionary Party
Institutional Revolutionary Party
The Institutional Revolutionary Party is a Mexican political party that held power in the country—under a succession of names—for more than 70 years. The PRI is a member of the Socialist International, as is the rival Party of the Democratic Revolution , making Mexico one of the few...
(PRI) in 1994. His term ended with his assassination
Assassination
To carry out an assassination is "to murder by a sudden and/or secret attack, often for political reasons." Alternatively, assassination may be defined as "the act of deliberately killing someone, especially a public figure, usually for hire or for political reasons."An assassination may be...
.
José Francisco Ruiz Massieu was the brother-in-law of Carlos Salinas and was due to become the PRI majority leader in the Chamber of Deputies
Chamber of Deputies of Mexico
The Chamber of Deputies is the lower house of the Congress of the Union, Mexico's bicameral legislature. The structure and responsibilities of both chambers of Congress are defined in Articles 50 to 70 of the current constitution.-Composition:The Chamber of Deputies is composed of one federal...
. All that changed on September 28, 1994 when he was murdered by a gunman in front of a party building one block from swank Paseo de la Reforma
Paseo de la Reforma
Paseo de la Reforma is a wide avenue that runs in a straight line, cutting diagonally across Mexico City. It was designed by Ferdinand von Rosenzweig in the 1860s and modeled after the great boulevards of Europe, such as Vienna's Ringstrasse or the Champs-Élysées in Paris...
avenue in downtown Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
.
Investigation
Within two weeks he turs , PRI DeputyCongress of Mexico
The Congress of the Union is the legislative branch of the Mexican government...
Manuel Muñoz Rocha was linked to the assassination. Two weeks later, the assistant attorney general investigating the case, Mario Ruiz Massieu, the brother of the assassinated politician, resigned. He asserted that he had proof that high officials in the PRI were blocking his investigation.
On February 28, 1995, Raúl Salinas
Raúl Salinas de Gortari
Raúl Salinas de Gortari is a Mexican businessman.Raúl Salinas is the brother of former President of Mexico Carlos Salinas. He is best known for being convicted of masterminding the killing of José Francisco Ruiz Massieu, his former brother-in-law, although he was acquitted upon appeal in 2005...
, the brother of former President Carlos Salinas, was arrested as the mastermind of the Ruiz Massieu assassination. Three days later Mario Ruiz Massieu was arrested in Newark
Newark, New Jersey
Newark is the largest city in the American state of New Jersey, and the seat of Essex County. As of the 2010 United States Census, Newark had a population of 277,140, maintaining its status as the largest municipality in New Jersey. It is the 68th largest city in the U.S...
, NJ
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, USA, boarding a plane to Madrid while carrying USD $46,000 in unreported cash. The government charged him with impeding the investigation of his brother's murder. The government also found seventeen million dollars in U.S. bank accounts linked to Mario Ruiz Massieu.
He was not found deportable.
Mario Ruiz Massieu committed suicide in 1999.
Raúl Salinas was found guilty on January 21, 1999.
On appeal, his sentence was cut to 27 1/2 years.