MEXICO CITY, April 23 (UPI) -- A Mexican federal judge said he could not issue a warrant for arrest for Mexico City Mayor Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, El Universal reported Saturday.
The mayor, who was stripped of his immunity by the Mexican Congress April 7 and charged with contempt of court, could be knocked out of the 2006 presidential race, of which he is the leading candidate, if sent to jail on the charges.
The judge, Juan José Olvera, also did not rule on the charges, and said he would not allow a bail payment that legislators had posted on the mayor's behalf.
Olvera said prosecutors had overstepped their authority by setting the bail.
Olvera's decision will likely extend the mayor's legal limbo for many more weeks. Since he was stripped of his immunity, Lopez Obrador has not been able to carry out his duties as mayor in the city of 8.5 million.
