David Brooks
Correspondent
Newspaper La Jornada
Friday, July 29, 2022, p. 18
New York., United States federal prosecutors reiterated and expanded arguments so that in a possible trial evidence is admitted that Genaro García Luna threatened and bribed journalists when he had an official position and that recently, already imprisoned, he sought the possibility of intimidating possible witnesses against them even with threats to assassinate them and their families.
The prosecutors, responding to objections from García Luna’s defense to admit this evidence, presented a memorandum sent to federal judge Brian Cogan, in charge of the judicial process against the former Secretary of Public Security and former head of the Mexican federal police.
Led by Breon Peace, the prosecutors reiterated their intention to introduce evidence that during his time in the García Luna government threatened, harassed and bribed journalists investigating his crimes
.
In addition, they rejected the arguments of the defense that question the credibility of a journalist as a witness in the trial, which the defense revealed is supposed to be Anabel Hernández. Prosecutors said the witness’s credibility should not determine whether her evidence is admitted at trial, as that is where whether or not she is credible will be assessed in cross-examination before a jury.
In the memorandum they specify that the prosecution also intends to introduce evidence that around 2009 or 2010 the defendant used funds from acts of corruption. to pay bribes to a news organization to prevent journalists at that organization from publishing negative stories about their associations with drug cartels
.
Specifying more about some of that evidence, prosecutors said they anticipate the production of evidence that the defendant’s efforts to bribe an editor (equivalent to a boss or director) in a news organization were successful
. They stressed that García Luna’s continued efforts to bribe and harass journalists are relevant and inextricably intertwined with their corrupt assistance
to the Sinaloa cartel.
revealing recording
Regarding García Luna’s attempts to manipulate witnesses after his arrest, prosecutors reported that they will seek to introduce at least one recording between the former official and another person where the defendant discussed threats of violence and tampering with witnesses against him
.
Rejecting the arguments of the defense to accept this evidence for questioning the character of the interlocutor, the prosecution repeated that the evidence has to do with what García Luna said and not the credibility of the informant. He was identified as a prisoner in a cell attached to the accused, who cooperated with the prosecution by claiming to have links with the Russian mafia in New York.
In response to the fact that many of the recordings between the defendant and the now cooperating witness in jail are inaudible, the prosecutors pointed out that there are many places where the audios are clear, in particular when García Luna mentions an interest in killing cooperating witnesses and their families
.
They also revealed that this recording is from a discussion about manipulating an individual the defendant believes will be a witness against him
and that the way he speaks is relevant to the criminal charges the defendant is facing.
García Luna was arrested by US authorities in December 2019, accused of providing assistance to the Sinaloa cartel between 2001 and 2012 in exchange for bribes of tens of millions of dollars.
His trial is scheduled for October 24 – although the judge is considering requests to postpone it until early 2023 – before the federal court for the Eastern District in Brooklyn, New York; the same place and judge where Joaquín’s trial was held El Chapo Guzman.
