translated from Spanish: Emilio Lozoya asks judge for more time to reach agreement in Odebrecht case

The defense of former director of Petróleos Mexicanos (Pemex), Emilio Lozoya Austin, asked a federal judge to authorize an extension of the original six-month period he had granted to define whether he reaches an agreement with the Attorney General’s Office of the Republic that would stop an eventual trial against him for money laundering, in the Odebrecht case.
The deadline granted to Lozoya by the Judge of the North Inmate expires on Sunday, March 7. However, according to authorities consulted by Political Animal, so far the FGR has not granted the former functioner the opportunity criterion he has been looking for.
Watch video: Ancira: Lozoya, Altos Hornos and the links that led to its extradition
This is because while Lozoya filed a broad complaint against an alleged corruption network involving former presidents, officials and ex-legislators, so far the evidence she provided has not yet allowed any of them to proceed criminally. Negotiations and data analysis continue.
If an agreement was not reached and since Lozoya has already been linked to trial since July last year under criminal case 261/2019, the FGR would have to proceed with the formal indictment against Pemex’s former director to go to trial.
In this context, Lozoya’s lawyers will explain to the judge that he extends the period of further investigation of the case to exhaust the possibilities of an agreement or, if not, to finish preparing his defense strategy.
It should be noted that the National Code of Criminal Procedures provides for the possibility of extending this period by up to a maximum of six more months, provided that it is justified. The decision in this case could also affect the lawsuit against Lozoya’s mother, Gilda Margarita Austin, who like her son is waiting to know whether or not she goes to trial.
To address and resolve the request made by Lozoya’s defense, the judge convened a closed-door hearing and videoconference system at 10:30 a.m.
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Original source in Spanish