Source: The Guardian Author: Martin Kettle in Washington Pubdate: Saturday March 14, 1998 Contact: http://www.guardian.co.uk/ SWISS SAY EVIDENCE LINKS SALINAS BROTHER TO DRUG MONEY Swiss investigators believe they have firm evidence that Raul Salinas, the jailed brother of the former Mexican president Carlos Salinas, made tens of millions of dollars as a crucial intermediary for Colombian drug-trafficking cartels in the early 1990s. A report in the Wall Street Journal yesterday says the Swiss team, which froze $120 million (£75 million) in Swiss bank accounts controlled by Raul Salinas at the start of the investigation in 1995, have obtained sworn evidence from United States drug agents and Mexican and Colombian traffickers and financiers which reveals a multi-million dollar network of links between the drug cartels and Mexican politicians, with Mr Salinas at its centre. Mr Salinas is in prison in Mexico for conspiring to murder a political opponent and still faces possible charges of "inexplicable enrichment". He has always denied that his wealth comes from the drugs trade, but one witness told investigators that the Colombian cartels paid $80 million to Mexican politicians between 1990 and 1993 and that half the money went directly to Mr Salinas. The witness, Guillermo Pallomari, was chief personal adviser to Miguel Rodriguez, one of the four Cali cartel chiefs, from 1990 to 1994, before turning himself over to the authorities. Mr Pallomari says that Mr Salinas was paid directly by Amado Carillo Fuentes, who was then the head of Mexico's largest cocaine network. He has provided investigators with documents supporting his allegations. Mr Pallomari says that Mr Salinas received money, watches, paintings and jewels in return for facilitating drug flights into and out of Mexico and arranging for the return of drug hauls seized by the authorities. According to Mr Pallomari, Mr Salinas was known by the cartel as chupa sangre - the bloodsucker. On one occasion, investigators have been told, Mr Salinas arranged for the return of 3,000kg of cocaine to the Cali cartel after 5,000kg had been seized by Mexican drug enforcement authorities in Acapulco. Mr Salinas continues to claim that his fortune consisted of money given to him by others for investment. But the Swiss investigators are said to have obtained detailed ledgers from the cartels which record payments to Mr Salinas and other politicians and officials. Interview: Michael Palin Mexico has indicated that it is unlikely to agree to the extradition of Mr Salinas to stand trial in any other country, but a spokesman for the attorney-general, Jorge Madrazo, said yesterday that his office would like to work with the Swiss authorities once the investigations there had been completed. The evidence does not directly implicate Carlos Salinas, Mexico's president between 1988 and 1995. He left the country after his brother was charged with involvement in the assassination of a leading political opponent, Luis Donaldo Colosio. Carlos, who has lived in Dublin for much of the time since then, says he did not know about his brother's activities. However, some of the witnesses have told the investigators that the Colombian cartels thought that their payments to Raul Salinas were a way to buy influence with the president. As well as the Swiss inquiries into Raul Salinas's financial affairs, other investigations have been taking place in the US, Mexico, France and Britain. As well as the cartel in Cali, Mr Salinas has been linked to two others - one of them Colombian, the other Mexican. Part of the investigation also centres on how Mr Salinas was able to transfer millions of dollars into Swiss accounts from a Citibank private account based in Mexico. Copyright Guardian Media Group 1998