English

Genaro García Luna's alleged accomplices include his wife and sister

López Obrador wants to make sure no official linked to García Luna is still working for his administration

Genaro García Luna is accused of receiving bribes from the Sinaloa Cartel, then led by “El Chapo” Guzmán - Photo: File Photo/EL UNIVERSAL
15/12/2019 |15:25Susana Zavala, Manuel Espino y Alexis Ortiz |
Redacción El Universal
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After Mexico's former Security Minister was arrested in the U.S., accused of collaborating with the , Mexican authorities launched an investigation.

Santiago Nieto

, the head of the Financial Intelligence Uni t under the Finance Ministry revealed that there are 11 people linked to the investigation against García Luna ; those 11 alleged accomplices include his wife and sister , as they both received money transfers .

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Nieto added that in regards to the case , there is international cooperation and that the federal government has implemented a “ zero-tolerance policy in regards to corruption and impunity .”

In previous days, it was revealed that the bank accounts of people and companies linked to were blocked; Santiago Nieto said that the UIF is verifying if the banks accounts blocked belong to any public official working for the government. Nieto added that his team found transfers made through public agencies , which were triangulated to a bank account owned by García Luna; this would be solid evidence that would be used by the Attorney General's Office , the basis to maintain the accounts blocked.

Moreover, it has been revealed that during 's administration , tax authorities gave Linda Cristina Pereyra Gálvez , García Luna's wife , a tax waiver for MXN $4,741,000.

According to journalist Peniley Ramírez , García Luna and P ereyra Gálvez are linked to at least 15 companies established in Miami , Florida, where the family has lived in since 2012. The companies include coffee shops, restaurants, private security, legal firms, cyber-security, and TV entertainment.

Furthermore, President López Obrador instructed his cabinet to make sure no official linked to García Luna is still working for this administration.

On December 18th , Santiago Nieto , the head of the Financial Intelligence Unit , announced that authorities found a transfer for MXN $2 million made by the Interior Ministry to a company linked to the former Security Minister, .

Santiago Nieto

announced that the UIF filed a lawsuit before the Attorney General’s Office .

Nieto explained that this operation means that the Interior Ministry triangulated public resources to a company that had ties for , Security Minister, who was arrested in the U.S. after being accused of taking bribes from the Sinaloa Cartel.

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