Former Baja California governor Jaime Bonilla Valdez, who keeps a residence in Chula Vista, was arraigned in Mexicali today on charges of embezzlement and abuse of power tied to a failed solar power deal. State prosecutors accuse him of greenlighting a contract that created multimillion-peso obligations for the government, even though the plant was never built. Bonilla has pleaded not guilty in court and continues to insist he is innocent.
According to DC News Now, relaying reporting from the Border Report, Baja California’s attorney general arrived in court with an 18-volume evidentiary file and accused Bonilla of using his position to steer the controversial Next Energy contract. Prosecutors told the judge the agreement would have locked the state into long-term financial liabilities and that public funds began to be moved even though the project lacked federal permits. The outlet reports that a preliminary hearing to decide whether he will be bound over for trial is set for next Monday, March 23, and that Bonilla maintained his innocence at the proceeding.
What Prosecutors Say About Next Energy
The criminal case centers on a 2020 public-private agreement with energy firm Next Energy that investigators and auditors describe as high risk and tilted against the state. El Economista reported that auditors flagged excessive projected costs and long-term payment commitments for Baja California, while the energy sector coverage noted that Next Energy lacked authorization from the federal regulator to generate electricity. As authorities have tried to unwind the deal, local reporting shows the state has clawed back some public money, including roughly 172 million pesos in restitution from Banca Afirme. Energy Magazine traced the series of permit denials that helped sink the project.
A Cross-Border Figure
Bonilla’s situation hits close to home on both sides of the border. He has long lived in the Chula Vista area, where he once served on the Otay Water District board, and his political and business profile straddles Baja California and San Diego County. Brujula News has detailed his property and business interests in the region.
The criminal case also unfolds against the backdrop of another controversy. Bonilla was previously named a person of interest in the 2022 killing of journalist Lourdes Maldonado, a development covered by national media at the time. CBS News reviewed the investigation and the reporting that followed Maldonado’s killing…