Former Governor Roberto Sandoval and a federal magistrate were accused of receiving bribes from drug trafficking.
The governments of the United States and Mexico froze the accounts of Roberto Sandoval, former governor of Nayarit, for alleged illicit enrichment with organized crime bribes.
The Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) of the Ministry of Finance of Mexico indicated that the measure was also applied to federal magistrate Isidro Avelar Gutiérrez, as well as a lawyer and leaders of the Jalisco Nueva Generación Cartel (CJNG).
The US Treasury Department reported that its sanctions total 11 Mexican citizens and 10 criminal organizations, including the CJNG and the “Los Cuinis” gang.
In turn, Santiago Nieto, head of the FIU, explained in a press conference that the blockade of accounts was applied to 42 individuals and corporations, and frozen funds amount to more than 70 million pesos.
“There are 42 people designated in the list of blocked people … at this moment we have 24 million 430,752 pesos and 2 million 396,250 dollars, which represent 45 million 780,000 pesos. In total we would be talking about just over 70 million pesos that have been reported by the financial system, “said Nieto.
In a statement, the US Treasury Department said that Judge Avelar Gutiérrez accepted bribes from cartels in exchange for decisions favorable to drug lords.
Meanwhile, he pointed to former governor Roberto Sandoval Castañeda for acts of corruption, including receiving bribes and embezzlement.
“Officials like Isidro Avelar Gutiérrez and Roberto Sandoval Castañeda have mercilessly enriched themselves at the expense of their fellow citizens,” said Sigal Mandelker, deputy assistant secretary of Financial Intelligence and Terrorism at the Treasury Department.
“Whether they have received bribes from drug cartels or engaged in a host of other illicit activities, these and other corrupt officials will face serious consequences, such as exclusion from the US financial system,” he said.
Source: Reuters, Notimex
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