Claudia Salazar / Reform Agency
Thursday, February 23, 2023 | 16:44
Mexico City.- PAN member Santiago Creel, who served as Secretary of the Interior between 2000 and 2005, assured that he was never aware of Genaro García Luna’s links with criminal groups and denied having had any dealings with the former official.
At a press conference, in which he said he stood up because he believed in justice, the president of the Chamber of Deputies emphasized that the United States Government never reported suspicions or alleged links of García Luna with criminal groups.
He regretted that the García Luna case was brought to justice in the United States and not in Mexico.
“They ask me if I was aware of this and the answer is emphatic: absolutely not. During the five years that I served as Secretary of the Interior, from 2000 to 2005, I never had information from the Mexican intelligence agencies, both civilian and military, as well as from American agencies, and I want to say it very clearly. What has happened is extremely serious and what must be done is to apply the law and take the experience of what has happened. How far are the ramifications of organized crime? In which institutions Why in Mexico legal and ministerial prosecutions are not always as effective as those in the United States?
“They want to politicize this matter, they are going to do it, whatever I say, they are going to want to bias it, I come to show my face, I believe in justice, in the law, in the Constitution, and I believe that whoever does it pays And if you are going to ask me if this continues with other civil servants or public servants, at whatever level, let it continue because it is a crime that must be exposed and punished from top to bottom. Mexico cannot afford for these things to happen. and unless they happen first abroad and then we have to start working in Mexico. Realize the problem that is in front of us, or we recover the reliability of Mexico to exchange information… that this case is the case that closes a once and for all, corruption and collusion, that swarm that has become organized crime in institutions,” Creel said.
He recalled that García Luna had worked in the public administration since the administration of President Ernesto Zedillo and that when the new government of Vicente Fox entered, the functions of Public Security were separated from the Ministry of the Interior, from December 1, 2000.
“Mr. García Luna leaves in that transfer, he stays in Public Security for a while, and then makes his transfer to the Attorney General’s Office, I do not remember the date of when the change occurs. Within my duties as Secretary of Interior I was the coordinator of the security cabinet, who presided over it was Vicente Fox, but for practical purposes it was the Secretary of the Interior who coordinated, only the incumbents attended the security cabinet, Mr. García Luna never attended because he was not incumbent. dealings with García Luna”.
