Charges against Elba Esther Gordillo are dismissed

Mexico’s outgoing government

pursued wide-ranging corruption charges against Elba Esther Gordillo , the politically linked ex-leader of one of Mexico's most powerful teacher's union , have been dismissed , her lawyer said on Wednesday .

For decades, Gordillo led one of Latin America’s largest unions and was known for her close ties to the PRI . She gained notoriety for living a lavish lifestyle that critics saw as a symbol of impunity and corruption .

“I received ... notification of the decree of my absolute and immediate freedom due to the dismissal of charges in the criminal case I was a subject to”, said a letter written by Gordillo but read by her lawyer, Marco Antonio del Toro.“I need time to privately assimilate the emotions that stem from such an important personal issue,” she added.

Del Toro said the notification was issued late Tuesday night and that Gordillo will speak publicly on August 20.

Gordillo, 72

, was arrested in early 2013 , accused of embezzling $200 million in union fund s, just one day after President Enrique Pena Nieto signed a major education reform Gordillo opposed.

She faced charges that included using intermediaries to move money t o banks in Switzerland and Liechtenstein , then back to the United States, in order to buy properties in the United States and pay fo r works of art and plastic surgery.

At the time of her arrest, the government said Gordillo had declared an income of MXN $1.1 million between 2009 and 2012.

Late last year, Gordillo was transferred from prison and placed under house arrest , after the New Alliance political party she founded announced it would support the PRI in last July’s presidential election.

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