Jury in case of former Mexican secretary will be anonymous

A judge ordered this Tuesday that the names of the members of the jury of the trial of the former Secretary of Public Security of Mexico, Genaro García Luna, not be publicly revealed and that they be escorted when arriving and leaving the court, in addition to being isolated from the public. during the day in court.

Judge Brian Cogan thus granted the prosecution’s request to maintain an anonymous and partially isolated jury to guarantee their safety.

García Luna, who was Secretary of Public Security from 2006 to 2012 during the government of President Felipe Calderón, is accused in the United States of receiving millions of dollars in bribes from the Sinaloa Cartel in exchange for allowing the criminal organization to operate freely. .

He has pleaded not guilty to charges including conspiracy to distribute cocaine, involvement in an ongoing criminal enterprise, and lying to authorities. The 53-year-old former Mexican official is in prison in New York.

Prosecutors for the Eastern District of New York said months ago that they were concerned that people close to García Luna would carry out a campaign of harassment, intimidation and violence against witnesses in the trial and their families. Judge Cogan agreed Tuesday.

Garcia Luna’s lawyers said in April that their client is not violent or connected to high-ranking members of the Sinaloa Cartel, and therefore jurors should not remain anonymous or secluded from the public.

If that happened, it would give the impression that his client is guilty of the charges against him and that this does not guarantee a fair trial, said lawyer César de Castro.

During the trial of Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán, former leader of the Sinaloa Cartel, in late 2018 and early 2019, the jury was also anonymous and partially isolated.

Connect with the Voice of America! Subscribe to our channel Youtube and turn on notifications, or follow us on social media: Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.