Family and friends say their last goodbyes to José Agustín Ortiz Pinchetti

Mexico City. The Minister of the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation (SCJN), Loretta Ortiz Ahlf, thanked this Sunday on social networks the messages of affection and respect that she has received from various actors for the loss of her husband, José Agustín Ortiz Pinchetti, head of the Specialized Prosecutor’s Office for Electoral Crimes and who marked his life path in the defense of democracy from various trenches, such as the Chamber of Deputies, the then National Electoral Institute (INE), academia and even in the pages of The Day.

“José Agustín Ortiz Pinchetti was a loving man with deep convictions and persistent struggles. Despite the unfathomable pain caused by his departure, I treasure the joy of walking by his side. My sincere gratitude for each and every one of the displays of affection and respect received,” the minister posted on her X account, @lorettaortiza.

Ortiz Pinchetti (May 13, 1937, Mexico City) passed away on August 3 at the age of 87. He had been in charge of the Specialized Prosecutor’s Office for Electoral Crimes since March 2019.

On social media, there were many expressions of respect and condolences for the lawyer’s family. In the first minutes of this Sunday, the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation did the same.

“The Federal Judicial Branch regrets the sensitive death of Mr. José Agustín Ortiz Pinchetti, head of the Specialized Prosecutor’s Office for Electoral Crimes. We send our most sincere condolences to his beloved wife, Minister @lorettaortiza, his family and friends. Rest in peace,” was published on the SCJN’s account.

Since last Saturday, the virtual president-elect, Claudia Sheinbuam, also published their condolences for the death; as well as other actors such as Ernestina Godoy, future Legal Advisor to the Presidency; the INAI commissioner, Blanca Lilia Ibarra; and the advisor to the Federal Judiciary, Bernardo Bátiz Vázquez.

“The death of lawyer and politician José Agustín Ortiz Pinchetti is a loss for Mexico. Our condolences to Loretta Ortiz Alfh @lorettaortiza, his partner, and to Morena, his party,” Bátiz posted.

At the end of his tour of the southeast, President Andrés Manuel López Obrador recalled that he spoke with Ortiz Pinchetti two days before his death, “because they told me that he mentioned me a lot and his family asked me to speak with him.”

During the conversation, the president sent a big hug to the deceased, but “he did not tell me anything else because he was already very sick.”

“It is the loss of a long-time companion, a democrat,” with whom he fought since the fraud of 2006, lamented Obrador.

He was one of the most important people in the transition process: César Cravioto.

Relatives and friends of José Agustín Ortiz Pinchetti are attending this Sunday to say their last goodbyes to the lawyer and head of the Specialized Prosecutor’s Office for Electoral Crimes (FISEL), who died this Saturday at the age of 87. His body is expected to be cremated tomorrow, Monday, shortly before noon.

In a well-known funeral home on Félix Cuevas Avenue in Mexico City is the wife of the columnist and founder of The Daythe Minister of the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation (SCJN), Loretta Ortiz, together with her children.

Dozens of people close to Ortiz Pinchetti have attended during the morning of this day, among them, the former Secretary of Labor and Social Security, Roberto Campa Cifrián, who said that when he approached Loretta Ortiz, she told him that “they are very proud of who he was, the teacher, he lived a full life.” He also told him “of the pride for her of having been married to Don Agustín, and for us of having had a friendship with him.”

Recalling the moment when he met Ortiz Pinchetti, Campa Cifrián said that they were colleagues “in the legislature of the impeachment, I went up to speak as a PRI member against the impeachment and I built a relationship with Mr. Agustín, who was a great politician, but an even better person.”

The president of the Judicial Branch of Mexico City (PJCDMX), Rafael Guerra, was also present. In brief statements, he highlighted the lawyer’s legacy. He was “a total democrat who has truly given and contributed to Mexico with his knowledge and political strategies that, for us, are currently valid,” he said.

He met Ortiz Pinchetti when he was Secretary of Government in the administration of Andrés Manuel López Obrador in the capital city government, and said that “he was a very sensitive person, very prudent in analyzing legal cases and giving his opinions.” While in the electoral field, he said that “together with the current president Andrés Manuel (López Obrador) they established the principles of democracy mainly, we are very clear about that.”

Senator César Cravioto stressed that Ortiz Pinchetti was a reference for the public life of the country and was “one of the most important people in the transition process and in strengthening democracy.” Considering him as a deputy of the left, he said that at the time “he took part in the transformation project in Morena.” On a personal level, he remembered him as a great friend and someone from whom he learned because of his human qualities.

Along with the Ortiz Pinchetti children, there is also the counselor of the Federal Judicial Council, Verónica de Gyvés, as well as dozens of friends and relatives.