What was the case of Florence Cassez and Israel Vallarta like and what happened?

This Friday, a federal judge closed the trial against Israel Vallarta, who has spent more than 18 years in prison without a sentence.

Vallarta has been identified as a member of the “Los Zodiaco” gang, which at the beginning of the century was accused of organized crime and kidnapping in Mexico.

The federal judge determined that there is no longer any evidence from both the Prosecutor’s Office and the accused to uncover, so the next thing will be to present the conclusions of the case and set a sentence.

But what is the history of a case started almost 20 years ago and why is it important?

On December 9, 2005, the morning news program hosted by Carlos Loret de Mola broadcast an operation that culminated in the arrest of two kidnappers and the release of three victims, which was celebrated by society.

The alleged criminals were the Frenchwoman Florence Cassez and Israel Vallarta and everything seemed normal, until days later the federal authorities recognized that the arrest had been staged at the request of the media. Both had been detained hours before, allowing time for torture.

Florence Cassez

Among those involved was the Frenchwoman Florence Cassez who had a relationship with Vallarta and was arrested that same day.

Until her release by a vote of the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation, she remained imprisoned for six years under the accusation of kidnapping.

In January 2020, he stated that he would initiate legal proceedings against former Mexican president Felipe Calderón and journalist Carlos Loret de Mola. “The time for accountability has arrived,” he said, according to the media outlet L’Express.

This in an interview about his reaction upon learning of the arrest of the former Secretary of Security, Genaro García Luna, who was protected by the former president and is currently imprisoned in the United States for drug trafficking.

Israel Vallarta

For his part, Israel Vallarta was also captured on the property and accused of leading the gang of kidnappers. According to his wife, in addition to being tortured, 10 investigation folders were made for him.

For the alleged torture against four alleged members of “Los Zodiaco”, the former head of Regional Security of the former Federal Police, Luis Cárdenas Palomino, was issued a formal prison order in 2021.

The montage

During the current government of President López Obrador, the montage has been used to attack previous governments and the journalist Carlos Loret de Mola, who participated in the montage as a host when recording the recreated scenes.

Jenaro Villamil, president of the Public Broadcasting System of the Mexican State (SPR), accused in April 2021 that Loret de Mola made his audience believe that they were witnessing live the arrest of two dangerous kidnappers.

“Live and on national television, a French citizen, Florence Cassez, was presented as a kidnapper and tortured, Israel Vallarta, who is still detained and, curiously, whom Mr. Carlos never “Loret de Mola has apologized for having broadcast torture live,” he accused.

Rekindle the case

Since then and after Netflix released a documentary on the Cassez-Vallarta case in August 2022, the process against Vallarta has taken on a new focus.

Even Netzaí Sandoval, who was director of the Federal Institute of Public Defender (IFDP), declared in December 2022 that he would seek to respect the presumption of innocence of Vallarta and investigate the torture of which he was a victim, after a judge refused to modify preventive detention imposed 17 years ago.

In August 2023, Vallarta filed an amparo requesting that the precautionary measure be reviewed, to which the Attorney General’s Office (FGR) filed a complaint against the provisional suspension so that the preventive detention could be reviewed.

As indicated by an investigation by the Emeequis media, the FGR has refused to sentence him or acquit him of the charges brought 19 years ago.

Since its beginning, those who have followed the case have documented torture, discredit of the authorities, protections, statements from international organizations, such as the IACHR, asking that preventive detention be eliminated; and threats against their families.

With López Obrador, the now former Secretary of the Interior, Olga Sánchez Cordero and Adán Augusto López were also unable to resolve the case, so the new resolution is expected to resolve whether Israel Vallarta receives a sentence or remains free.