FGR determines not to exercise criminal action against Salvador Cienfuegos, and AMLO accuses the DEA of “fabricating” evidence to “harm” Donald Trump’s government.
MEXICO CITY (Times Media Mexico) – The Attorney General’s Office (FGR) determined not to proceed criminally against the former head of the Secretariat of National Defense (Sedena), Salvador Cienfuegos Cepeda.
Yesterday, Thursday, the FGR resolved Cienfuegos’s legal situation, which was handed over to Mexico last November after the United States government detained him for accusations of links with drug trafficking. He gave up so that Mexican authorities could continue the investigations against him.
Due to the lack of evidence to proceed against the former military command, the federal public ministry determined not to exercise criminal action.
“On January 9, 2021, Mr. General Cienfuegos learned of the accusations made by the U.S. authorities, as well as the investigations carried out by the Attorney General’s Office in the case, having access to the entire file, as corresponds to this procedural phase. As of that date, said the person had provided his or her evidence; and the Attorney General’s Office carried out all the necessary actions to obtain the crucial evidence in this case.” Detailed the FGR. “From the corresponding analysis, it was concluded that General Salvador Cienfuegos Zepeda never had any encounter with the members of the criminal organization investigated by the U.S. authorities; nor did he have any communication with them, nor did he carry out acts tending to protect or help said, individuals”.
This, even though the U.S. government sent the Mexican government all the evidence that the DEA gathered against Salvador Cienfuegos, such as the interception of communications between members of the H2 cartel allegedly with the former head of the Navy.
“Nor was any evidence found that he had used any equipment or electronic means or that he had issued any order to favor the criminal group identified in this case. From the analysis of his patrimonial situation and the fulfillment of his fiscal obligations, no data or symptom of obtaining illegal income or increasing his patrimony out of the ordinary was found, according to his perceptions in the public service, concluded the Prosecutor’s Office.
In the morning conference, Lopez Obrador said he supports the decision of the FGR to exonerate General Cienfuegos; the evidence of the DEA has no probative value, the president said.
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AMLO literally used the word “fabricate” when referring to the case being investigated by the DEA. It is a severe accusation to say that a foreign authority has fabricated a case against a Mexican. You can’t make up crimes, that no one should act that way, no matter who it is, the most important thing is the truth,” said Lopez Obrador, who suggested that the DEA did it to harm the Trump administration.
