The federal government has doubled down on an attempt to recover assets in the United States owned by Genaro García Luna, a former federal security minister accused of colluding with the Sinaloa Cartel.
García, security minister in the 2006-12 government led by former president Felipe Calderón and a high-ranking security official before that, was arrested in Dallas, Texas, in 2019 on charges he allowed the Sinaloa Cartel to operate in exchange for multimillion-dollar bribes. He is currently in a New York jail awaiting trial.
Lawyers acting on behalf of Mexico’s Financial Intelligence Unit (UIF), part of the federal Finance Ministry (SHCP), filed a civil claim in the United States in 2020 that sought to recover US $250 million in assets that García Luna alleged acquired in the U.S. with proceeds of criminal activities.
Now, the SHCP has reasserted the UIF’s authority to file the claim after that right was challenged by lawyers for the former security minister, according to a report by the news website Animal Político.
The SHCP submitted two official letters to the Eleventh Judicial Circuit Court of Florida endorsing the UIF’s 2020 claim, Animal Político said. The news website, which reviewed the letters, said that SHCP legal adviser Félix Arturo Medina Padilla and UIF chief Pablo Gómez “ratified the legality of the claim brought by the UIF.”
They argued that the UIF has the legal authority, even in foreign countries, to file lawsuits that allow the Mexican state to “recover resources that are intentionally hidden and out of the direct reach of Mexican authorities,” according to the Animal Político report.
One of the letters stressed that the UIF has “full legal authority” to represent the SHCP and Mexico in the attempt to recover García Luna’s allegedly ill-gotten assets in the United States.
As a result of the SHCP’s “ratification” of the existing civil claim, Judge Alan Fine allowed it to proceed, Animal Político reported adding that the case is in the evidence gathering stage.
While García Luna will go on trial in the United States, there is also a case against him in Mexico for money laundering, organized crime and illicit enrichment via drug trafficking and corruption. Declarations of assets filed by Genaro García Luna with the Ministry of Public Administration between 2002 and 2008 show that his wealth increased significantly in the period.
Although the federal Attorney General’s Office began investigating him in 2020, the charges the ex-official faces are yet to be tested in court.
García Luna’s U.S. trial was scheduled to begin in October but his legal team succeeded in having it postponed until early 2023.
The former security minister has maintained his innocence, but U.S. prosecutors allege he received tens of millions of dollars from the Sinaloa Cartel and used some of that money to buy favorable coverage from the media. He allegedly provided a range of information to the cartel, including details about government security operations against it, which helped it to operate with impunity.
With reports from Animal Político, Infobae and El País
The son of a former Sinaloa Cartel leader is a free man, but Mexico wants him sent home to be tried for a journalist’s killing in 2017.
Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard said a semiconductor industry could take advantage of U.S. funding and double Mexico’s economic growth.
A trove of documents leaked by hacker collective Guacamaya has revealed details about past security operations and the president’s health.
Interest rates are higher than they have been in more than a decade, as the central bank continues to fight rising inflation.
The president’s remarks came in response to a newspaper report based on information from last week’s infiltration of the Ministry of National Defense by hacking group Guacamaya.
In a new report, the international bank predicted 1.5% growth for Mexico next year and a somewhat higher rate of 2.1% in 2024.
Opponents to the bill argued it would further perpetuate a failed militarized security strategy; AMLO thanked lawmakers for their approval.
One of the two cities was recognized for the third year in a row, while the other was named for the first time in the big city category.
Repairs to structural damage at Terminal 2 of Mexico City’s international airport will take 10 months, Mayor Claudia Sheinbaum said.
There are 7.5 million square meters of office space in the capital and 23.5% of the total were unoccupied at the end of June.
Say “mezcal” and most people think of the state of Oaxaca. But this obscure Mexican state might just be the liquor’s next big producer.
This small, local tequila business beloved of Lake Chapala-area expats has seemingly disappeared; here’s the story of what happened.
Full of protein and flavor, this simple traditional dish is so easy to make, it belongs on every table, even yours.
The eccentric Guadalajara artist and Renaissance man taught Diego Rivera, possibly painted Mexico’s first modern mural and invented his own color.
Two authors have written recent books that examine Mexico’s disappearing diversity of corn varieties and efforts to preserve them.
Buffalo native Cayuqui Estage Noel was central to founding Atlixco’s Atlixcáyotl festival in 1965 after he attended festivities in Oaxaca.
The Senate will soon consider more mandated worker vacation days. But what about the millions of Mexicans with informal jobs and no benefits?
Sarah DeVries shares some quick tips, including giving yourself permission to simply observe Spanish in use, like infants learn.
For many expats, a move to Mexico is a successful life rebirth planned out years in advance. Read on if your move has been less idyllic.
Subscribe to Our Free Newsletter
THE STORY: Hackers leak thousands of Defense Ministry documents; AMLO confirms revelations of health issues