‘El Mayo’ and Guzmán López will appear before the US next month: Salazar

Mexico City. Ismael’s hearings The May Zambada and Joaquín Guzmán López’s visits to the United States authorities will take place next month, said the ambassador of that country in Mexico, Ken Salazar.

“I can share with you that The May will have his hearing on September 9 in a court in the state of Texas, (while) Joaquín Guzmán will have his hearing on September 30 in Chicago,” said the diplomat in a press conference held today at his residence.

When asked if cooperation between Mexico and the United States on security matters has stopped, he said that this aspect “continues very well. We are working with the Attorney General’s Office. What was said in a press conference yesterday, that cooperation had stopped, is false. We have very good cooperation and that will surely continue with the new government of President-elect (Claudia) Sheinbaum. That is my hope.”

On the other hand, when referring to the reform of the Judicial Branch that will be analyzed in the next few days in Congress, Salazar affirmed that it is a decision that Mexicans must make, but expressed his concern regarding the models of popular election of judges, such as the one in force in the state of Texas.

There, “there is direct election (of judges), where judges go out to campaign, to raise money, to be politicians in their effort to reach the Courts. That system for me […] “I don’t think it’s a good model,” he said, without explaining the reasons for his skepticism.

When pressed on the subject, Salazar reiterated: “My fear is the example I see in Texas, where judges are elected in that state, because there the judges have to go out and campaign, raise funds and all that.”

The US ambassador said it would be positive to also consider models such as those in the states of Utah and Colorado, where there is a “retention model” in which a commission proposes a shortlist for the head of the executive branch to appoint judges and, after a period of two years, they are evaluated to determine whether or not they continue to occupy their posts.

Salazar stressed that his country “is not in a position to tell” the Mexican Congress on the issue, but he put forward aspects such as defining limited time frames for judges and magistrates to make decisions on sensitive issues.

The above, he said, would prevent cases such as the extradition request of the brothers Omar Treviño Morales, known as Z-42and Miguel Angel Trevino Morales, Z-40.