Ebrard: Mexico will release the Cienfuegos file 4:15
(CNN Spanish) -
The President of Mexico Andrés Manuel López Obrador established his position regarding the exoneration, by the Attorney General's Office, of Salvador Cienfuegos, former Secretary of Defense during the term of former President Enrique Peña Nieto (2012-2018 ).
The Mexican president said there are no elements to judge Cienfuegos, but he maintains that his government must end impunity and corruption.
“The Prosecutor's Office decided to determine that there are no elements to judge Cienfuegos.
The government endorses, supports (the Prosecutor's Office).
We maintain that impunity and corruption must end.
But also that there should be no revenge.
Crimes should not be invented, whoever it is, ”said López Obrador.
Salvador Cienfuegos Zepeda was arrested on October 15, 2020 at the Los Angeles International Airport.
A court in the Eastern District of New York accused the general of having allegedly abused his public position to help a Mexican cartel traffic drugs to the United States in exchange for bribes.
Cienfuegos has pleaded not guilty to the charges.
LOOK: Ebrard: There are no important elements to initiate criminal action against Cienfuegos
Last November, the Justice Department withdrew the accusations against the general and the judge in the case, Carol Bagley Amon, announced the decision to dismiss the criminal charges brought against the former secretary to allow Mexico to investigate the former federal official.
López Obrador asked to look at the timing of the general's arrest, “they arrest the general before the elections.
He had already been to the United States in March ”.
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The Foreign Minister of Mexico Marcelo Ebrard presented a schedule of the case and clarified that the entire file will be made known in its entirety to the population.
“We are going to inform the United States authorities of these elements and conclusions in due course.
If the investigation was done, has it been completed?
There are no other items to investigate.
From what Cienfuegos does with all the testimonies, there are no elements to initiate legal action against him.
That's the truth.
The president asks me to make the file known ”.
MIRA: Mexico's Prosecutor's Office exonerates former Secretary of Defense Salvador Cienfuegos
He clarified that with the evidence presented by the DEA, General Cienfuegos could not even have been arrested in Mexico.
“There is no way to prosecute Cienfuegos.
What's more, in Mexico they couldn't even have stopped him according to current law. "
President Obrador offered an apology to the US authorities for releasing the investigation file to Cienfuegos.
"It is a transcendent and delicate matter. We do it because the prestige of our nation is above all," added the president.
This Friday, the Justice Department told CNN in a statement that "the United States reserves the right to prosecute Cienfuegos if the Government of Mexico does not do so."
* Juan Carlos López contributed to this report.
Salvador Cienfuegos