Mexican Bishops denounce Attorney General’s handling of Cardinal Sandoval’s innocence

Mexico City, Mexico, Feb 12, 2004 / 22:00 pm

The Mexican Bishops Conference expressed regret that the country’s Attorney General has not announced the innocence of Cardinal Juan Sandoval, Archbishop of Guadalajara, as widely as the false charges linking him to drug trafficking.

 In a press release the Bishops pointed out that last December 26, the Attorney General reported on the exoneration of Cardinal Sandoval and his relatives “as a result of the investigation which was sparked by an accusation of connections with drug trafficking and money laundering.”

The Bishops expressed their joy and satisfaction that “after a rigorous investigation, the innocence of Cardinal Juan Sandoval Iñiguez has been proven and his complete honesty has been confirmed, as we have always believed and affirm.

Nevertheless, they lamented the procedures of the Attorney General, first for “the serious lack of discretion manifested during the investigation, which resulted in the accusations and investigations being made public, thereby creating a scandal concerning the honorability of the Cardinal and his relatives.”

They also denounced the Attorney General for making sure he personally made the public announcement of an investigation into the charges, yet after the investigation concluded, the results were announced by one of the AG’s assistants.

In conclusion the Bishops expressed their “resolve and firm purpose to continue calling for an investigation to clear up the facts surrounding the assassination of Cardinal Juan Posadas Ocampo, until results in accord with truth and justice are achieved.”

Last year, various authorities accused former Attorney General Jorge Carpizo of not seeking justice in the case of Cardinal Juan Posadas’ assassination and of orchestrating a farse against Cardinal Sandoval.

The AG admitted having opened an investigation of Cardinal Sandoval and his family for alleged money laundering and organized wrong-doing without any more proof than the request by Carpizo.

Cardinal Sandoval is the most vocal defender of the theory that the assassination of Cardinal Posadas was premeditated and was not a case of mistaken identity between to drug trafficking groups, which Carpizo who was then Attorney General has always held.