Sheinbaum says Mexico will not protect ex-Pemex chief after abuse video

Claudia Sheinbaum said Mexico would not protect anyone after a video surfaced showing former Pemex chief Víctor Rodríguez Padilla violently attacking his wife, turning a private abuse allegation into a public test of her anti-impunity pledge. Sheinbaum said the law should be applied and made clear Rodríguez would not receive special treatment or another role in her administration.

The footage was posted to YouTube on Friday by a woman identifying herself as María Felicia Jiménez, Rodríguez’s wife. Reuters said the video appeared to have been recorded by a home surveillance camera in a living room on March 15, 2026, while Rodríguez still led the state oil company. The images appear to show Rodríguez grabbing a woman by the neck, pulling her hair, shoving her and holding her down on a couch, while a young boy briefly appears at the start before leaving the frame.

Reuters said it could not independently verify the location of the recording beyond the timestamp. An account appearing to belong to Rodríguez posted a statement on Friday saying he had stepped back from public roles while the incident was investigated and was willing to cooperate with authorities. Reuters could not reach him for comment.

Sheinbaum’s response carried extra political weight because she is Mexico’s first woman president, inaugurated on Oct. 1, 2024, and because Pemex remains one of the country’s most politically sensitive institutions. Rodríguez Padilla, whom Sheinbaum had previously announced as Pemex’s next chief, was still holding the post when the alleged assault was recorded, tying the case directly to scrutiny of conduct inside a flagship state company.

The case has also sharpened attention on violence against women in Mexico. INEGI’s ENDIREH survey classifies violence against women in five categories: psychological, physical, sexual, economic and patrimonial. Figures cited by EL PAÍS from INEGI and UN Women say 63% of Mexican women over 15 have experienced some form of violence, and 60% of those attacks occur at home and are committed by partners.

Sheinbaum had already pressed for action before her June 29 morning press conference. A June 26 Spanish-language report said she called on María Felicia Jiménez to file a complaint and used the phrase “Que se haga justicia,” while also saying the government would support women who are victims of violence. The video now places that stance under a harder spotlight, with Mexico’s institutions facing pressure to show that domestic abuse claims are handled the same way whether they involve a private citizen or a former head of a state energy giant.