Prominent lawyer accused of money laundering is arrested in Mexico

Mexico's Attorney General announced the detention of lawyer Juan Collado . Officers from the Attorney General's Office arrested the lawyer yesterday, while he was dining at a restaurant in Mexico City after he was accused of organized crime and money laundering.

Journalist Carlos Loret de Mola

claimed that the lawyer was detained as a result of a legal process in the state of Querétaro .

Today, it was revealed that the judge will bind Collado over to trial for organized crime and money laundering . It is alleged that the crimes were perpetrated through the creation of shell companies created in the states of Querétaro and Nuevo León.

The judge decided that Collado will remain in custody and granted the Attorney General six months to carry out the investigation .

During the proceedings, the Attorney General's Office accused Juan Collado of creating four shell companies and simulate the sale of land in Querétaro for MXN $156 million.

According to the attorneys, in 2010, Collado , along with others, created two companies, Operadora Inmobiliaria del Centro and Libertad Sociedad Financiera to simulate financial operations and launder money.

The money was allegedly obtained from the sale of the land in Querétaro but according to the plaintiff , Sergio Bustamante, the land was his and was illegally seized through identity theft, since he never agreed to the sale.

Bustamante filed the lawsuit on June 7 and on July 4, the Financial Intelligence Unit made the investigation official before the Attorney General's Office . It was argued that part of the money obtained from the property sale was used to finance Francisco Domínguez Servién's electoral campaign, who is the current Querétaro governor.

Juan Collado

is a prominent lawyer linked to the Mexican political elite. Recently, he handled Enrique Peña Nieto's divorce from actress Angélica Rivera .

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