Mexico City.- President Andrés Manuel López Obrador asked that in the trial against Genaro García Luna in New York, relations of the former Secretary of Security with United States authorities be shown, who at the time recognized him and later accused him of drug trafficking.
“He had relationships that may be work, with high-ranking officials of the US government, so that’s why the trial is very important, how far were the agents, or US authorities, the agencies involved?
“How is this double life, on the one hand he is rewarded, recognized, and on the other hand he has a relationship of protection from organized crime and how did they not find out? Nobody found out, nobody knew, until suddenly they stop him and the accusation comes,” he said in his morning conference.
From the National Palace, the President presented a report from The New York Times, where the trial against the former Secretary of Felipe Calderón is contextualized. He later asked that the photographs of the note be shown, in particular, the one that shows García Luna with Hillary Clinton.
“Yes, it is a very important topic, I do recommend the text, so that you look for it, I don’t know how you can look for it, is it open? Look, the pure photos, look at this, it was the Head of the State Department, Mrs. Clinton”, pointed.
García Luna’s defense asked Judge Brian Cogan to allow the display of letters and photographs of the former official with high command in the Barack Obama Administration, who considered him a great partner in the fight against drug trafficking, at the trial.
But Brooklyn Court prosecutors objected because that would give the wrong impression to the jury that he was first vetted before giving him any recognition or meeting with him in his capacity as Secretary of Security (2006-2012).
“The fact that the defendant received such praise and courtesies in his capacity as a high-ranking government official in Mexico has nothing to do with the question of whether the defendant took bribes and conspired with the Sinaloa Cartel,” a document presented states. last December 28.
López Obrador foresaw that the former Secretary’s lawyers intend to show the close collaboration of US authorities with whom they are now prosecuting.
“The lawyers (of García Luna) I imagine that what they want is to demonstrate that it was a concerted action, if there are United States authorities (involved) who are called to testify and participate,” he mentioned.
The President declared that he will be attentive to the revelations and suggested that the case must be supported, since it was postponed for three years, after the arrest of García Luna in Dallas, Texas, in December 2019. If it was not solid, he considered, everything would be a fiasco.
“The authority has to present evidence, how are they going to have a person detained for three years, go to trial and have no evidence? It would be a fiasco, more than that, an injustice,” he said.
He added that if corruption and insured money are revealed, Mexican authorities will request the return of the amounts, regardless of the figure.
Yesterday the jury selection process began in New York, which will continue this Wednesday. Of 191 summoned citizens, they must choose 12 people and at least six substitutes so that they can then start arguments in the opening arguments, where the witnesses, the version of the case, what is intended to prove and refute, will be reported for four days a week. week for two months.
