Photo: Ronaldo Schemidt/AFP/Getty Images
For: The opinion Updated Jan 11, 2023, 1:38 pm EST
The lawyer of Genaro Garcia LunaCésar de Castro, sent a letter to the judge Brian Cogan requesting, among other things, that the defense be allowed to present evidence of meetings between the defendant and senior US officials, in the form of photographs and written statements.
In this regard, the lawyer pointed out that, during his tenure as a security official in Mexico, his client held countless meetings with legislators, members of the law and high-ranking political leaders of the United States in the executive branch, including a former president and former attorneys general. .
In addition, De Castro intends to be able to present the recognitions and awards that García Luna received from the United States government for his efforts in the fight against drug trafficking in Mexico.
This letter was sent in response to the Justice Department’s request to Judge Cogan that he not admit the defendant’s relations with US officials as proof of innocence.
“The role of García Luna in the fight against drug trafficking are admissible as opposition statementsand in some cases, they are not hearsay at all… Therefore, the Court must reject the government’s motion and allow the defense to offer evidence of meetings between Mr. García Luna and senior United States officials,” the document adds. .
In addition, the defense refers to the uncorroborated statements of witnesses that the Prosecutor’s Office intends to present, and that may lead them to believe that the former Mexican official was really a member of the drug cartels.
On this, the lawyer explained that the vast majority of government witnesses were arrested and extradited to the United States while Mr. García Luna was a public official.
“The defense has the right to demonstrate to the jury that Mr. García Luna was a partner of the United States and not any drug cartel,” he reiterated in the letter.
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