El Chapo trial: Joaquín Guzman paid former Mexican president $100m bribe, witness claims

Joaquin “El Chapo” Guzman once paid a $100 million bribe to former Mexican president Enrique Pena Nieto, a witness has claimed in court.

Alex Cifuentes, who has said he was a close associate of Guzman for years, discussed the alleged bribe as part of the accused Mexcan drug lord’s trial. Asked if he told authorities in 2016 that Guzman arranged the bribe, he answered, “That’s right.”

Mr Pena Nieto, commonly known by his initials EPN, was president of Mexico from December 2012 until November 2018. He was previously governor of the state of Mexico, which includes Mexico City.

The former Mexican president could not immediately be reached for comment.

A spokesman for Mr Pena Nieto has previously denied clims that he has taken any bribes, calling the accusations “false”.

Cifuentes is a Colombian trafficker who has himself pleaded guilty to US drug charges and is cooperating with prosecutors.

Federal prosecutors objected a number of times to questions about alleged bribes from Guzman's defence team. Sometimes these objections were sustained by Judge Brian Cogan.

Guzman, 61, has been on trial in federal court in Brooklyn since November. He was extradited to the United States in 2017 to face charges of trafficking cocaine, heroin and other drugs into the country as leader of the Sinaloa Cartel.

A lawyer for Guzman, Jeffrey Lichtman, said in his opening statement on the first day of the Brooklyn trial that Guzamn was a scapegoat for the alleged real leadre of the cartel, Ismael "El Mayo" Zambada Garcia.

“He’s blamed for being the leader while the real leaders are living freely and openly in Mexico,” Mr Lichtman said at the time. Mr Lichtman claimed that Zambada had been left free because he allegedly “bribes the entire government of Mexico including up to the very top, the current president of Mexico” - meaning Enrique Pena Nieto.

The office of Mr Pena Nieto denied that accusation as "false".

Guzman's trial is expected to last a few more weeks.

Reuters contributed to this report