Kate Del Castillo-El Chapo Case: Arely Gomez Did Not Violate Any Law by Revealing Actress Being Investigated Over Meeting With Drug Kingpin
The Office of the Attorney General of the Republic (FGR) of Mexico has absolved the former head of the agency, Arely Gomez, from any administrative and criminal liability for publicizing that Kate del Castillo was being investigated for meeting with drug kingpin Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, while he remained a fugitive.
The actress has sued the Mexican state and expects to receive around $60 million in compensation for the moral and reputational damage the government allegedly caused her.
Kate del Castillo said prosecutors from the defunct Attorney General's Office (PGR) leaked information that damaged her reputation. She claimed she became a "victim" of institutional harassment after Arely Gomez told the media that El Chapo's communications with the Mexican actress helped authorities capture the Sinaloa cartel's boss.
El Chapo reportedly wanted to direct a movie about his life. Mexican authorities investigated Kate del Castillo following a meeting she arranged with El Chapo and Sean Penn in 2015. She was never charged. But El Universal reported that the Mexican actress denounced Arely Gomez and other officials who participated in the investigations against her.
The current FGR is now investigating whether these officials incurred administrative responsibilities by allegedly leaking information about the investigations.
As the FGR exonerated Arely Gomez, the agency also denied recognizing Del Castillo as a victim. Milenio reported that a federal court ruled in May 2017 that the PGR did not attack Del Castillo's "image," much less violated her rights after the federal agency and its former head Arely Gomez disclosed that the actress was being investigated.
It will be on September 6 when a constitutional hearing will be held in which it will be decided by a third district court in administrative matters whether or not the FGR violates any human rights.
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Kate del Castillo Meeting With El Chapo
Kate Del Castillo arranged Sean Penn's interview with El Chapo in 2015. The actress said she organized the meeting because she was considering doing a documentary or film about El Chapo's life, but she currently has no plans to pursue the project, The Guardian reported.
Del Castillo said the former prosecutors had also suggested she might be linked to drug trafficking, something she said cost her acting career.
The Mexican actress earlier said she could not return to Mexico to work or visit her family for several years because of concerns about the investigations. Del Castillo has denied allegations that she laundered money.
Kate del Castillo and Sean Penn
In December 2018, Kate del Castillo said she's no longer in touch with Sean Penn because she believes he betrayed her. Del Castillo said Penn had apparently helped in the detention of El Chapo, adding that she was not aware at the time of that situation.
The actress said that the actor behaved very badly because he did not protect her and put her life at risk. El Chapo had reportedly told Penn about his drugs business, rags-to-riches life story, and how he hired European engineers to help him get out of the prison.
Mexican authorities claimed they had monitored Penn's movements after discovering his meeting with El Chapo that helped them lead them to a ranch where the Sinaloa cartel boss was staying.
Penn noted that he got in touch with the Sinaloa boss through Del Castillo, who made public statements against the Mexican government in 2012.
El Chapo had started contacting Del Castillo through his lawyer in 2012. The drug kingpin was a free man at the time following his first escape from a Mexican prison in 2001.
Del Castillo has served as a translator to Penn during the meeting. Penn reportedly remembered arriving at El Chapo's territory, where the drug lord had opened the door and greeted Del Castillo like "a daughter returning from college."
READ MORE: The Power Of El Chapo's Drug Tunnels
This article is owned by Latin Post
Written by: Mary Webber
WATCH: What Happened When Kate del Castillo, Sean Penn Met 'El Chapo' - From ABC News
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