U.S. drops charges against Cienfuegos (Nov. 18, 2020)
The U.S. Justice Department abruptly decided to drop drug trafficking and corruption charges against former Mexican defense minister Salvador Cienfuegos. Cienfuegos, who was arrested in Los Angeles last month, will be returned to Mexico in a stunning reversal that left observers reeling.
U.S. Attorney General William Barr portrayed the decision as "a recognition of the strong law enforcement partnership between Mexico and the United States, and in the interests of demonstrating our united front against all forms of criminality," and said Mexican officials will investigate Cienfuegos and charge him if appropriate.
Mexico’s foreign minister, Marcelo Ebrard, welcomed what he called a “gesture of respect” towards Mexico and its armed forces, not a “path towards impunity” for an alleged criminal, reports the Guardian.
The arrest was originally touted as a window into high level corruption and collusion with criminal organizations within the Mexican government. But diplomatic considerations appear to have played a strong role in the reversal. “The United States has determined that sensitive and important foreign policy considerations outweigh the government’s interest in pursuing the prosecution of the defendant, under the totality of the circumstances, and therefore require dismissal of the case,” wrote prosecutors asking a U.S. judge to dismiss the charges. (Aristegui Noticias)
Mexican officials voiced displeasure that they weren't warned of the arrest in advance, and received evidence against Cienfuegos only afterwards, reports the New York Times. Possible reasons for the reversal could also include preservation of military cooperation between the two countries. If the United States hadn’t agreed to drop the charges against Cienfuegos, “the army would have held off on any kind of cooperation with the U.S. for a decade," Alejandro Hope told the Washington Post.
Other analysts pointed to the cozy relationship between U.S. President Donald Trump and Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador who still hasn't officially recognized Trump's loss in this month's presidential election.
Cienfuegos would not necessarily be placed in custody in Mexico, reports the Associated Press. “In Mexico, he will be received by the Attorney General’s Office,” Ebrard said. “In what status will he come? That of a Mexican citizen who does not face charges in the United States at this moment.”
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