At the age of 66, Víctor Rodríguez Padilla, the former general director of Petróleos Mexicanos (Pemex), was apprehended on Tuesday afternoon in the Narvarte neighborhood of Mexico City's Benito Juárez district. This arrest followed an arrest warrant issued by a Morelos state control judge, as reported by EFE.
The apprehension, carried out at 5:32 PM local time by agents from the Investigative Police working alongside the Morelos Prosecutor's Office, occurred 11 days after a video went viral showing the ex-official assaulting and pinning his partner to the ground.
Escorted and in Custody
Handcuffed and visibly upset, Rodríguez Padilla was escorted by three female officers to the Agency 50 of the capital's Prosecutor's Office. He was then taken to the Atlacholoaya prison in Morelos, where he is expected to face his initial hearing before a control judge, according to reports from local Mexican media.
The authorities are investigating him for "domestic violence against his partner."
In a statement, the capital's Prosecutor's Office clarified that "in March 2026, the victim was with the accused at a residence in the state of Morelos, where he allegedly assaulted her physically and verbally following an argument."
Media Attention and Legal Defense
Rodríguez Padilla's defense argued on Wednesday that the media has excessively covered the case against the former Pemex director. The attorney, who chose to remain anonymous, claimed that the accusation of domestic violence does not warrant preventive detention and emphasized that his client is ready to face the judicial process.
The Morelos Prosecutor's Office is set to present evidence during the initial hearing to substantiate the charges.
Cuban Academic's Allegation
The incident came to light on June 26, when María Felicia Jiménez Lavie, the ex-official's wife of Cuban nationality, shared a security camera video on her YouTube channel. The footage documented an assault that took place on March 15, 2026, in Emiliano Zapata, Morelos, while Rodríguez Padilla was still leading Pemex.
The video shows the ex-official striking and subduing his partner in the presence of their five-year-old son. Jiménez Lavie, 38, is a nuclear engineer and holds a doctorate in energy engineering. She has taught at UNAM's Faculty of Engineering and the Military School of Engineers. She met Rodríguez Padilla at the university, where he was her professor, and they married on October 18, 2024.
In an interview with Aristegui Noticias, the academic recounted years of abuse: "It started with verbal insults, then a slap, shoves, but nothing like this, which was very brutal. I was in significant pain for several days after."
She also revealed that the ex-official threatened to take custody of their children and deport her to Cuba, leveraging his position of power and her immigration status as tools of coercion.
"Breaking the silence meant losing my job, my money, having nowhere to live, and losing my children simply because of his closeness to the presidency's upper echelons," she stated. When confronted with the video, Rodríguez Padilla downplayed the incident to his wife, calling her "crazy" and referring to it as just a "scuffle."
Repercussions and Vulnerability
After the video was published, Jiménez Lavie faced repercussions: her phone lines were blocked, and her initial X social media account was suspended.
"I just realized 10 minutes ago that they've completely blocked me. I can't receive or make any calls. If they cut my internet, I'm completely cut off and defenseless," she warned.
Despite her high-level education, Jiménez Lavie remains financially dependent on her husband, exacerbating her vulnerability and delaying her complaint.
In her original post, she directed a message to the Mexican president: "Anything that happens to me or my children is Victor Rodríguez Padilla's fault. Help, president."
Jiménez Lavie has been clear about her expectations: "He should be punished as anyone else would be."
Sheinbaum’s Commitment to Zero Impunity
Rodríguez Padilla, a former classmate of Claudia Sheinbaum, was appointed director of Pemex by the Mexican president in August 2024. He led the company for 18 months until May 14, 2026, when a financial restructuring with a debt of approximately $75 billion led to his replacement. The video surfaced just a month after his departure from Pemex, at a time when the government was about to appoint him as director of the National Institute of Electricity and Clean Energies, a position that was never formalized following the video's release.
In her morning conference on June 29, Sheinbaum stated unequivocally: "We will not protect anyone involved in such acts. Violence against women cannot be tolerated."
Key Questions About the Arrest of Former Pemex Director
What led to the arrest of Víctor Rodríguez Padilla?
Víctor Rodríguez Padilla was arrested following the viral release of a video showing him assaulting his wife. The arrest came after a judge in Morelos issued a warrant based on charges of domestic violence.
What was the reaction of María Felicia Jiménez Lavie to the incident?
María Felicia Jiménez Lavie, the victim and his wife, publicly shared the video of the assault and recounted years of abuse, urging the authorities to hold Rodríguez Padilla accountable.