, the former Security Minister held in a U.S. prison and accused of taking bribes from the Sinaloa Cartel , used a series of companies and tax havens to hide over USD 50 million.
According to an investigation by journalist Peniley Ramírez , the Mexican government filed several lawsuits against García Luna after authorities discovered that these companies might have received resources that were the result of bribes between 2006 and 2012.
Journalist Peniley Ramírez
obtained copies of the two lawsuits filed by Santiago Nieto , the head of the Financial Intelligence Uni t, before the Attorney General’s Office and the anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office , where Nieto accuses García Luna of money-laundering . The journalist also obtained another document that confirms Nieto filed a third lawsuit before the Public Administration Ministry .
In an interview with Ramírez, Santiago Nieto explained that an investigation revealed García Luna created a complex money-laundering scheme.
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The investigation also found movements in accounts opened in the U.S., Barbados, Hong Kong, Israel, Latvia, Panama, UK, Cyprus , and Curaçao.
As a result of the investigation, authorities blocked the bank accounts owned by García Luna, his wife, his sister, and his business partners, including Samuel Weinberg , Alexis Weinberg , and José Luis Castilla.
The companies involved in the money-laundering scheme include Glac , founded by García Luna himself; as well as Icit Private Security, Icit Holding, Nunvav, owned by the Weinbergs.
The Financial Intelligence Unit launched this investigation after García Luna purchased a home in Golden Beach, Florida , for USD 3 million.
The investigation found that between 2012 and 2019, the companies linked the former Security Minister deposited over USD 200 million in the Mexican banking system, which were sourced from “unknown origins” and different government institutions.
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