García Luna, a strongman during Calderón’s presidency, is accused of having served the ‘El Chapo’ Guzmán cartel
As the head of public security in Mexico and a strongman for President Felipe Calderón in the fight against drug trafficking, Genaro García Luna met US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and members of the US Congress a decade ago, in addition to giving lectures. the prestigious Woodrow Wilson Foundation. Today he sits on the bench of one of the potentially most explosive trials since Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán was convicted. In fact, it takes place in the same Brooklyn court where a witness told the famous Sinaloa Cartel drug trafficker three years ago that he personally delivered briefcases containing up to $5 million in corruption.
That sworn statement led to his arrest in the parking lot of a house he was renting in Dallas, where justice gave him the gauntlet, wearing jeans and a Hugo Boss sweater. It was not long before the United States discovered a fortune “contrary to a civil servant’s salary”, something that would not have attracted attention in its native country. Corruption is a supposed part of political life in Mexico, although paradoxically these senior officials choose their retirement homes in the only country where the bills are passed to them.
This Wednesday, the former minister was back in a navy suit jacket and his best smile, as if his three years in prison had only left him with a mixture of gray hair. His lawyer and the prosecution spent the first two days bidding for potential jurors for the estimated eight-week trial in which 13 righteous men will decide if he is guilty of drug trafficking, organized crime and false statements.
In Mexico, the president, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, admonished local newspapers for not covering a process that has only technically begun, but from which he expects explosive statements. He wants him to open his country’s eyes and serve as a public mockery to curb rampant corruption.
Source: La Verdad
I am an experienced and passionate journalist with a strong track record in news website reporting. I specialize in technology coverage, breaking stories on the latest developments and trends from around the world. Working for Today Times Live has given me the opportunity to write thought-provoking pieces that have caught the attention of many readers.
