The U.S. Department of Justice reported that “they reserve the right to restart their accusation against (the general) Cienfuegos if the Mexican government does not.”
The U.S. authorities responded to this to the Vice News portal.
US Department of Justice spokesperson tells @VICENews this morning:
“The United States reserves the right to recommence its prosecution of Cienfuegos if the Government of Mexico fails to do so.” https://t.co/7NoNLRkvD1
— Keegan Hamilton (@keegan_hamilton) January 15, 2021
The answer came hours after President Andrés Manuel López Obrador accused the DEA of fabricating crimes against former Defense Secretary Salvador Cienfuegos, imprisoned in the United States for alleged drug trafficking and returned to Mexico for any trial.
“Yesterday the Prosecutor’s Office decides that there is no prosecution that was fabrication of General Cienfuegos by the U.S. drug enforcement agency, by the DEA,” the representative said at a press conference.
Video: AMLO supports Cienfuegos waiver; EU amaga with restart case
López Obrador argued that his government “supports, endorses, supports” the decision of the Public Prosecutor’s Office, which after a legal reform is now independent of the Executive.
Cienfuegos, a retirement general who was Minister of Defense in the presidency of Enrique Peña Nieto, was arrested on October 15 in Los Angeles and repatriated on November 18 following an agreement between the two countries.
The DEA handed over the alleged evidence to the Mexican Public Prosecutor’s Office to investigate Cienfuegos, who faced this process at large.
López Obrador argued that “corruption must be ended, but “there can be no retaliation, vengeance, and no crime can be invented, no one should be treated that way.”
Find out: FGR closes Cienfuegos case: never had encounter or communication with criminal organizations, says
The Prosecutor’s Office said Thursday that Cienfuegos, 72, “never had any encounters with members of the investigated criminal organization” by the United States.
“He also did not maintain any communication with them, nor did he perform acts aimed at protecting or assisting such individuals,” he said in a statement, in reference to the DEA’s accusations.
This Friday, Chancellor Marcelo Ebrard said the Mexican Prosecutor’s Office cited Cienfuegos to appear and after confronting “the elements provided by the US prosecutor” with which he filed the defense it was found that “there is no evidence to bring the case against the general.”
López Obrador questioned that Cienfuegos had been arrested days before the U.S. presidential election
“General Cienfuegos (…) he had been to the United States in March, visiting with his family (…) All this needs to be clarified,” he said.
With information from AFP and Vice News.
What we do at Animal Politics requires professional journalists, teamwork, dialogue with readers and something very important: independence. You can help us keep going. Be part of the team.
Subscribe to Animal Politics, receive benefits and support free journalism.#YoSoyAnimal
