por ALFREDO AZCARATE VARELA
THE BAJA POST/EDITOR
Mexico´s former secretary of Defense, General Salvador Cienfuegos, who had been detained in Los Angeles airport and accused of conspiracy to introduce drugs to the USA and of money laundering, was sent back to Mexico, where he will supposedly be investigated and tried, if necessary, according to Foreign Affairs secretary, Marcelo Ebrard who posted on twitter that General Cienfuegos will soon be back in Mexico.
A press release by Mexico´s General Attorney Office (FGR) explained that they had reached an agreement with the United States Department of Justice, in straight cooperation they accorded to suspend the charges against General Cienfuegos and allow him to come back to Mexico, where he will be the subject of an investigation and, if necessary, will be tried under Mexican Law.
The US Department of Justice has provided Mexico with proof and evidence and is committed to continue to cooperate, within this frame of reference, in order to support the investigations that Mexican authorities will carry out. This way, both countries remain committed in the relevant joint work that this mater represents.
Reactions in social media, mainly Twitter, have been all over the social media, most of the opinions are doubtful about General Cienfuegos being tried in a Mexican court, and some people think that former Secretary Cienfuegos will become another “protected witness”, which they consider nothing more than a “stool pigeon” of sorts.
In a joint statement about General Cienfuegos, who was facing charges for conspiracy to manufacture, import and distribute narcotics in the US and to launder money, Mexico´s General Attorney, Alejandro Gertz Manero and Secretary if Justice, William Barr, informed that “in order to recognize the solid institutional association between Mexico and the United States, aiming to show a common front against all forms of criminality, the US Department of Justice decided to request the Judge who was in charge of the former Defense Secretary, so he can be investigated and, in case it’s necessary, processed according to Mexican Law”.
The information stresses that it was because the FGR, based on the evidence exchange between both countries, US authorities state and assure that they have provided Mexico´s General Attorney Gertz Manero, with all the evidence of this case, General Cienfuegos had pleaded NO GULTY in an American Court several weeks ago.
La información menciona que todo fue a raíz de una solicitud de la FGR, en base a los acuerdos de intercambio de pruebas entre ambos países, las autoridades estadounidenses afirman haber proporcionado pruebas a la autoridad mexicana sobre este caso, Cienfuegos se había declarado inocente de los cargos en una Corte norteamericana.
