US-lauded 'woman of courage' to lead Mexico's drugs fight

Award: Marisela Morales

EDUARDO CASTILLO

MEXICAN president Felipe Calderon has accepted the resignation of his attorney-general and nominated his top organised crime prosecutor as a successor, the first woman to hold the post if she is approved.

Arturo Chavez Chavez, the second attorney-general to resign under Mr Calderon, said he was leaving to "attend to urgent personal issues". The move comes three weeks after Wiki-Leaks published diplomatic communications revealing that US embassy officials found his appointment in 2009 "politically inexplicable".

"The attorney-general's office has been one of the weakest spots in Mr Calderon's strategy in battling organised crime," said Andrew Selee, director of the Washington-based Mexico Institute. "There have been very few successful prosecutions against organised crime groups, those who launder their money and the public authorities who aid and abet them."

In nominating Marisela Morales, Mr Calderon said the current head of the organised crime special investigations unit "enjoys prestige inside and outside the country".

Last month, Ms Morales was presented with a 2011 Women of Courage Award in Washington by US first lady Michelle Obama and secretary of state Hillary Clinton.