Court declines to charge UIF Commanders over illegal accounts

A Mexican Federal Court judge declines to charge UIF Commanders Orlando Suarez and Mauricio Moreno Balbuena over illegally unfreezing bank accounts. Both Commanders belonged to the Financial Intelligence Unit (UIF).

They have accusations of unfreezing bank accounts illegally. These accounts contained more than 1,400 million pesos, some of which come from drug lords. The Attorney General of Mexico (FGR) filed a complaint against former commanders.

Un juez federal resolvió no vincular a proceso a dos ex mandos de la UIF en el sexenio pasado, por el supuesto descongelamiento ilegal de cuentas bancarias algunas de ellas de capos de la droga https://t.co/RHsM4CPo0U
— REFORMA (@Reforma) February 12, 2024

However, a Federal Court Judge declines to charge those two former UIF Commanders for illegally unfreezing the bank accounts of drug lords. Gerardo Alarcon Lopez is the Control Judge of the Federal Criminal Justice Center of the North Prison.

Judge Gerardo refuses to charge both Commanders owing to lack of evidence. He concluded that the Attorney General’s Office of the Republic (FGR) did not present sufficient evidence to charge two former commanders. They had charges for abuse of power and money laundering.

The FGR accused former UIF commanders of illegally releasing two unblocking agreements in 2018 in favor of 957 people. Their accounts contained a total of illegal money of 1,413,822,177 pesos and 18 million 889 thousand 29 dollars and 2 thousand 660 euros.

The family of drug lord Juan Jose Esparragoza Mareno owned these accounts. His widow Maria Guadalupe Gastelum Payan and daughters, Brenda Guadalupe and Nadia Patricia, owned the accounts.

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The alleged commanders also opened the accounts of another drug lord, Rafael Caro Quintero’s wife Maria Elizabeth Elenes Lerma. As well as his children Hector Rafael, Henoch Emilio, Mario Yibran, and Roxana Elizabeth Caro Elenes.

According to Judicial authorities, Judge Gerardo believed that FGR did not properly frame the conduct to charge commanders. This is because improper use of power includes giving out illegal permits and licenses for economic content as long as it involves treasury resources.

However, in this case, the money is not from treasury accounts but private accounts. It was frozen as a safety measure rather than being taken away. Furthermore, Judge Gerardo said the unfreezing letters were not against the law.