Yesterday, we reported on the reaction in Mexico to the conviction in New York of the former head of Security in that country, Genaro Garcia Luna, for taking bribes in exchange for allowing the Sinaloa Cartel to operate and smuggle drugs to the US.
The below article from Excelsior (Mexico) reports on a statement by President Andreas Manuel Lopez Obrador on the conviction. The below article is translated by Fousesquawk. We are working on translating the video of Lopez Obrador's comments.
Lopez Obrador wants Garcia Luna to be a witness and tell if he took orders from Fox and Calderon
Lopez Obrador said that he hopes, "for the good of Mexico", Garcia Luna becomes a witness and reveals if Fox and Calderon knew of the connections to drug trafficking.
Jimena Campuzano at 08:37
Caption: Genaro Garcia Luna was found guilty of the 5 charges in the US.
President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador suggested that Genaro Garcia Luna become a witness in the US after being found guilty of 5 charges, 4 of them for drug trafficking, in exchange for revealing if he took orders from Vicente Fox and Felipe Calderon.
"There is still the possibility that Garcia Luna (becomes) a witness, and I would say, as President of Mexico, for the good of the country, that hopefully, in exchange for informing if he received orders or informed the ex-presidents, Fox as well as Calderon, Fox when he (Garcia Luna) was in the AFI (Agencia Federal de Investigacion), and Calderon when he (Garcia Luna) was secretary," he said in his (press) conference this Wednesday, 22 February, one day after the verdict.
In addition, he said that Garcia Luna could also reveal what his connections were with the US authorities, which he considered was "good" not only for that country but for Mexico.
He considered that the trial against the former official under Felipe Calderon was also "a good contribution" to continue cleaning up the corruption in Mexico, though he also clarified that this trial is not against the country, since it is made up of people and not one person like Garcia Luna, the current president (himself), or former presidents.
"I believe that Garcia Luna, including Felipe Calderon, the current president, we are not Mexico, we are representatives of a country, Mexico is its people, not equating- that is wrong-, if they are prosecuting a Mexican official, it is not a trial against Mexico, that makes it manifest, I would say that it helps to continue cleaning up the corruption in Mexico, " he pointed out.
He reiterated that this trial itself, "is a good contribution" and though the contribution could have been better, the lesson is that, "these incidents must never be repeated".
Genaro Garcia Luna was convicted yesterday, 21 February, by 12 members of the jury, of the 5 counts he was charged with by the US authorities, 4 of them for conspiracy to import and possess cocaine (with) the Sinaloa Cartel, led by Joaquin El Chapo Guzman and Ismael El Mayo Zambada.
After a month of trial and 3 days of deliberations, the jury reached a decision, and at 13:54, the judge, Brian Cogan, read the unanimous verdict, in which it was decided that the ex-Secretary of Security was guilty of the 5 charges against him.
The Prosecutor's Office of New York presented 26 witnesses, 9 of them collaborators who are confessed former drug traffickers and serving sentences in that country, as evidence of the connection between Garcia Luna and the drug traffic and how he benefited from million-dollar bribes in exchange for allowing their operation.
*Update: Here is the translated video referenced above. Translation by Fousesquawk.
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