Drug lord Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman paid a $100 million bribe to former Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto in 2012, his former secretary alleged in explosive testimony Tuesday.
“You gave a story that Mr. Guzman paid a bribe to Mr. Peña Nieto of $100 million,” Chapo's lawyer Jeffrey Lichtman asked Alex Cifuentes during cross-examination in Brooklyn federal court, referring to his previous discussions with US authorities.
“That's right,” Cifuentes said.
The bribe allegedly took place in October 2012 — which was after he was elected but before he took office in December that year.
Lichtman noted Cifuentes had told authorities the graft was delivered by a woman named Madre Maria in Mexico City.
“Joaquin told me,” Cifuentes said.
Lichtman said Cifuentes had at one point told the government that Chapo paid Peña Nieto $250 million, but Cifuentes said no — that's just what the former president had asked for.
“I told them [Chapo] had been requested an amount of money, but he had offered a different amount and that he paid that money,” said Cifuentes.
Peña Nieto has previously denied taking bribes from Chapo.
His denial came after Lichtman's opening statements in the case in November, when the lawyer alleged both Peña Nieto and his predecessor, Felipe Calderón, took bribes from the Sinaloa Cartel.
On Tuesday, he said Cifuentes had told authorities in 2016 that rival Mexican drug smugglers the Beltrán-Leyva Cartel had been paying Calderón for protection against Chapo — but the witness said he now doesn't remember.
“I don't remember if the payments were made to Mr. Calderón,” Cifuentes said.
Cifuentas did acknowledge telling authorities that the Mexican government got in touch with Chapo at an unspecified time to tell him he could come out of hiding.
“That very thing is what Joaquin said to me,” he said. “They wanted to work with him.”
He also recalled telling the government that the Mexican Federal Police allegedly trafficked drugs with the Sinaloa Cartel and Beltrán-Leyva.
Cifuentas alleged the crooked cops would be sent photos of suitcases containing illicit cargo and the number of the flight they were on, and then go claim the baggage.
“And they would sell the drugs?” Lichtman asked.
“Yes,” Cifuentas responded.
https://nypost.com/2019/01/15/el-chapo-paid-100m-bribe-to-ex-mexican-president-secretary/
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