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López Obrador’s government has denied a possible secret pact to stop the trial against General Salvador Cienfuegos.
A U.S. federal court this Wednesday accepted that country’s attorney general’s request to drop drug trafficking charges against former Mexican Defense Secretary Salvador Cienfuegos, while the Latin American country’s government denied a possible secret pact to stop his accusation.
Federal District Judge Carol Bagley Amon accepted the request at a hearing in Brooklyn, New York, following the abrupt announcement on Tuesday 17-N by United States Attorney General William Barr and his Mexican counterpart Alejandro Gertz that the case The American would end.
“Although these are very serious allegations against a very significant figure, and the old adage of ‘best bird in hand’ comes to mind, I have no reason to doubt the sincerity of the government’s decision,” the magistrate said in public.
Hours earlier, the Mexican government ruled out that there had been a clandestine deal for Barr to ask for the charges against Cienfuegos, who he is accused of protecting and collaborating with a drug cartel to be dropped, and said the decision shows trust in the system. lawyer of the Latin American country.
“There is nothing in return,” President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said during his daily press conference, who after learning of the capture a month ago questioned the role of the DEA and other US agencies in the country. “There is nothing hidden”, indulged Marcelo Ebrard, its chancellor.
Ebrard dismissed any link between the case and the Mexican stance of not yet recognizing Democratic candidate Joe Biden’s triumph in the US election. Mexico is one of the few countries in the world that has not yet congratulated Biden, arguing that this would be interference.
Bilateral cooperation is at stake
Seth DuCharme, the interim federal attorney in Brooklyn, said his office “supports the case” against the retired Mexican military officer, but his interest in prosecuting him has been offset by the “wider interest” in maintaining cooperation. among the police. both nations.
The Mexican foreign minister appeared to confirm this approach, revealing the details of the diplomatic negotiations surrounding the case. “You can’t have close collaboration with all Mexican institutions, and at the same time do it. You must choose “.
While he was Enrique Peña Nieto’s chief of defense (2012-2018), Cienfuegos worked closely with his US colleagues in cross-border criminal matters and was a leading figure in the fight against drugs in his country.
He will return to Mexico
Speaking in Spanish, the retired military man told the judge he accepted the transfer to Mexico, where he did not expect to face persecution, he said. His lawyer, Edward Sapone, explained that his client signed a deportation agreement after Ebrard anticipated his return by plane in the next few days.
“Today (Wednesday) is a day of justice,” Sapone said at a news conference. “The general will leave New York for Mexico today, that’s the plan,” he added.
Ebrard indicated that Cienfuegos, who was detained in Los Angeles in October, could be investigated by the Mexican Attorney General’s Office, which does not yet have an arrest warrant against him, and will arrive “at liberty” in his country in the next few days, where he would be tried by the “common jurisdiction” if the case arises.
His apprehension has generated unrest in the armed forces, which López Obrador has drawn into strategic areas of his administration. It also put a strain on bilateral relations, as Mexico was not informed of the investigation and, therefore, sent a diplomatic note of denunciation to Washington.
Cienfuegos was arrested ten months after US prosecutors accused former Mexican Secretary of Public Security Genaro García of taking bribes to protect the Sinaloa cartel from Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, a prisoner in the United States. García Luna has pleaded not guilty.
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