NEW YORK, United States — A Colombian drug trafficker testified Tuesday that Mexican cartel leader Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman once boasted about paying a $100 million bribe to the former president of Mexico. Alex Cifuentes spoke about the alleged bribe to President Enrique Pena Nieto during his testimony Tuesday in Guzman’s trial in New York. Under questioning from Guzman’s lawyer, Jeffrey Lichtman, Cifuentes said he wasn’t sure exactly when the bribe was delivered. The trial has featured numerous allegations of bribes or attempts to bribe high-level officials in Mexico and Columbia, including police commanders and other officials in charge of fighting the drug cartels. At the start of the trial, Lichtman suggested jurors would hear testimony about bribes paid to both Nieto and former Mexican President Felipe Calderon.

Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer January 15, 2019 23:30 UTC