Víctor Rodríguez Padilla, the former CEO of Petróleos Mexicanos (Pemex), was arrested in Mexico City on Tuesday following a domestic violence complaint filed by his wife, María Felicia Jiménez Lavie.

The arrest came after Jiménez posted a video on YouTube that shows Rodríguez hitting, pulling and pushing his wife at their home in the state of Morelos. The security camera video also shows the pair’s 6-year-old son fleeing the scene after the violence erupts. 

Mexico’s National Arrest Registry indicates that Rodríguez’s arrest took place in the Narvarte neighborhood of the Benito Juárez borough on Tuesday afternoon at 5:32 p.m., after which he was handed over to the Morelos Public Prosecutor’s Office, where an investigation file for the crime of domestic violence was opened. 

Following the release of the video, President Claudia Sheinbaum advocated for the full application of the law in the case involving Rodríguez and pledged that her government “wouldn’t protect anyone in the face of acts such as these.”

Sheinbaum cuts ties with former Pemex chief accused of domestic violence: Monday’s mañanera recapped

Jiménez told the newspaper El Universal that the actions observed in the video — which was recorded on March 15 — are not an isolated incident, “but the culmination of an escalation that began in 2022 with verbal and physical abuse,” including an incident where Rodríguez stabbed her in the hand with a pen.

Jiménez, who is originally from Cuba, told Noticias Telemundo that her decision to release the video followed Rodríguez’s threat to expel her from Mexico, despite the fact that she is a Mexican citizen, and her fear that he would take her son away from her. 

“I just couldn’t take the humiliations anymore,” Jiménez said over the phone.  

Days before the arrest and without denying the accusations, Rodríguez said he would step down from any public office so as not to obstruct the investigation, and reiterated his “absolute willingness to cooperate with the authorities.”

Reports of domestic violence in Mexico increased by 82% between July 2015 and June 2025.

According to official figures cited by Telemundo, between January and May this year, Mexico saw just above 25,000 reports of domestic violence, up 1,000 compared to the same period last year. 

Paradoxically, the increase in the number of complaints is a positive development, as it may indicate that more women feel safe enough to report them.

“I am one of many women who have suffered domestic violence,” Rodríguez said. “The law must do what it has to do.” 

Mexico News Daily