| RAUL SALINAS DE GORTARI: VICTIM OR BENEFICIARY OF MEXICO'S FLAWED JUSTICE SYSTEM? |
| Written by Maria Elena Salinas |
| Tuesday, June 28 2005 |
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| MEXICO CITY -- It was a cloudy day in the Mexican capital, but for Raul Salinas de Gortari, freed from jail after spending 10 years behind bars, the sun couldn't have shone any brighter. The brother of former Mexican President Carlos Salinas de Gortari was exonerated of charges stemming from the murder in 1994 of his ex-brother-in-law and political leader Jose Francisco Ruiz Massieu. Salinas was freed by the same justice system that he claims unjustly condemned him. Two days after his release from jail, we sat down and talked about life behind bars and the events that led to his arrest and turned him into one of the most despised men in Mexico.
"Jail is a horrible place; it is a punishment that human beings have designed throughout history, and it is truly an extreme punishment," Salinas told me. But many Mexicans think he got off easy. Raul Salinas was accused not only of masterminding the murder of Ruiz Massieu -- for which he was originally sentenced to 50 years behind bars -- but of illegal enrichment and money-laundering.
First, the murder case. Salinas always proclaimed his innocence. He claimed to be the victim of political vendettas -- mainly against his brother, the former president -- and of a corrupt justice system that fabricated evidence against him. Even though there were several factors that indirectly linked him to the crime -- too many to mention here -- there were also many bizarre twists and turns that pointed to a sloppy -- not to mention corrupt -- investigation.
Among other things: the use of a clairvoyant, who claimed that the remains of a missing suspect were buried in one of Raul Salinas' properties. The remains turned out to be those of a family member of the psychic. Then there was the $500,000 payoff to the main witness who implicated Salinas in the murder.
"Three magistrates of the highest tribunal analyzed each and every document, each and every piece of evidence from both sides; if I had said one single lie, I would have been finished," said Salinas. His former lover, a Spanish dancer named Maria Bernal, claimed in a book published in 2000 that Salinas was angry at his former
brother-in-law and told her he would soon die, that everything was arranged. She also claimed that the clairvoyant was actually Raul Salinas' friend, his personal spiritualist who tricked prosecutors to ridicule their investigation. Members of the Salinas family claimed the lover admitted to him in a letter that she was pressured into writing the book.
For now, Raul Salinas no longer has to answer to the authorities for the murder case against Ruiz Massieu, but he still faces charges on the "inexplicable enrichment" case. Salinas has been investigated not only in Mexico, but also in Switzerland, France and the U.S. for millions of dollars deposited in several bank accounts. The most notorious case is the one of about $130 million in Swiss banks, which was frozen by Swiss authorities. Salinas has consistently stated that Mexican businessmen gave him the money to set up an investment fund that would be used for the creation of jobs in Mexico. If that was the case, then why take the money out of Mexico, I asked him? "Because setting up a multimillion-dollar business venture during my brother's presidency would have been disastrous," he claimed.
Raul Salinas has an explanation for everything. The use of fictitious names to open up bank accounts in Europe was to cover up an extramarital affair. Dozens of properties in Mexico and abroad are part of his family's patrimony and the resulting profits from his business ventures. The only crime that he will admit to is having a fraudulent passport. But his problems with law enforcement are not over. French authorities have issued a warrant for his arrest to ask him about "questionable" bank accounts.
Fresh out of jail, Raul Salinas de Gortari is attempting to adapt to a new life. Since his assets have been frozen pending the turnout of the last case against him in his own country, he claims to have nothing except his freedom. However, he has not been exonerated by the court of public opinion, where he is still perceived as a corrupt opportunist who abused his family name to gain favors from the rich and powerful, make a fortune from dubious activities and, in the opinion of some, get away with murder. |
