El Diario (1-22-2013)
Distrito Federal (Reforma).-- In an unprecedented action, Mexico's Attorney General (PGR: Procuraduria General de la Republica) admitted before a federal judge that the office has no evidence that verifies the statements made by protected witnesses that accused General Tomas Angeles Dauahare of protecting the Beltran Leyva cartel.
This disclosure was also communicated to the five other generals that were charged in the same case.
This past January 15, the agency headed by Jesus Murillo Karam admitted in an unprecedented manner that it was unable to corroborate the statements by "Jennifer" and Sergio Villarreal, "El Grande", in the investigation that led to the incarceration of the Division general, according to court documents.
"With respect to defendant Tomas Angeles Dauahare, the depositions (statements) of the collaborating protected witnesses have not been corroborated by any probative means, except for the fact that the accused was a public servant in the National Defense Secretariat (Sedena: Secretaria de Defensa Nacional), without having any proof to date to confirm the statements by 'Jennifer' and 'Mateo'", says the court document numbered DGCPPAMDO/707/2013 from the PGR.
This document was delivered to Raul Valerio Ramirez, third district court judge of Federal Criminal Proceedings in Toluca, who just yesterday provided it to General Angeles and the other accused military men.
The PGR admitted this after the General's defense lawyer, Ricardo Sanchez Retana, asked the court to order the SEIDO (special organized crime prosecutions unit) to disclose whether or not it had confirmed statements made by these two collaborating witnesses who had incriminated the military officer (of involvement) with the narco.
On Thursday, Angeles requested that his case be closed (dismissed) and sentencing issued based on the statements by the protected witnesses, declining to cross-examine them before a judge. It is expected that this Tuesday the court will order dismissal of the prosecution initiated against Angeles on organized crime charges.
"Jennifer" and "Mateo", code name for "El Grande", stated on several occasions that Angeles Dauahare helped Edgar Valdez Villarreal, "La Barbie", obtain military protection while unloading aircraft with cocaine in the Cancun, Toluca and Cuernavaca airports.
For the General's defense lawyer, Ricardo Sanchez, the fact that the PGR admits that there is no evidence that corroborates the accusations of drug trafficking from protected witnesses is good news and validates his idea that the Division General should have never been prosecuted.
Just last Thursday, a federal tribunal sitting in Guanajuato affirmed the formal order of imprisonment issued against General Angeles Dauahare and the other accused military officers.
"Jennifer" and "Mateo", code name for "El Grande", stated on several occasions that Angeles Dauahare helped Edgar Valdez Villarreal, "La Barbie", obtain military protection while unloading aircraft with cocaine in the Cancun, Toluca and Cuernavaca airports.
For the General's defense lawyer, Ricardo Sanchez, the fact that the PGR admits that there is no evidence that corroborates the accusations of drug trafficking from protected witnesses is good news and validates his idea that the Division General should have never been prosecuted.
Just last Thursday, a federal tribunal sitting in Guanajuato affirmed the formal order of imprisonment issued against General Angeles Dauahare and the other accused military officers.