Hidalgo County DA can continue prosecuting Edinburg mayor's voter fraud case
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A judge on Tuesday denied Edinburg Mayor Richard Molina's motion to disqualify the Hidalgo County District Attorney from prosecuting the mayor's voter fraud case, according to court records.
"After considering the testimony of witnesses, the evidence admitted, the legal authorities submitted and the arguments of the counsel, the Court is of the opinion that said motion should be denied," the order reads.
RELATED: Judge to decide on DA's dismissal from Edinburg mayoral voter fraud case Tuesday
The order comes after the judge heard testimony from nine people, including District Attorney Ricardo Rodriguez, on Monday.
Molina's attorney, Carlos Garcia, claimed in his motion that the district attorney’s aunt, Mary Alice Palacios, lost a lucrative contract with Edinburg while he was mayor, and that the DA should recuse himself for the "obvious" conflict of interest.
"We look forward to our day in court and just make sure that it is done in a disinterested manner,” Garcia said. “We each have our jobs to do and that's what we're trying to get done.”
In a statement, the DA’s office simply said “We are one step closer to our day in court, and another step closer to delivering justice."
Molina is currently in a runoff election against Ramiro Garza Jr. No new trial date has been set for Molina.
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