Former Lawyer For 'El Chapo' Guzman On Track To Become a Judge In Mexico After Judicial Elections

A former lawyer for drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman is on track to become a judge in Mexico as a result of the country's newly-implemented judicial elections.

Infobae Mexico detailed that, with 86% of the votes tallied, Silvia Delgado is the second female candidate with the most support in the state of Chihuahua at the moment. Five men and five women are expected to take office.

Delgado is known for representing Guzman, the co-founder of the Sinaloa Cartel, between 2016 and 2017. Miguel Alfonso Meza, an anti-corruption activist, told The Washington Post in Maythat cases like Delgado's raise concerns about potential conflicts of interest that could affect how judges and magistrates issue rulings.

"You can't one day be defending the Sinaloa cartel, and the next day be in a job where you're judging a lot of people who belong to the Sinaloa Cartel," he told the outlet.

Although Delgado is not seeking a federal post, she would still preside over cases involving homicide, extortion, car theft and low-level drug offenses if elected to be a criminal-court judge in the state.

Reports about candidates with ties to criminal organizations have raised concerns about insufficient vetting process by the Mexican government. The requirements to run are three years of legal experience, a clean criminal record and letters of recommendation from colleagues or neighbors. Roughly 850 federal judges, along with the entire Supreme Court, were elected by voters on June 1. The process was hailed as a success by the Mexican government, but it was marked by extremely low turnout, below 15%.

Despite being labeled a "high-risk" candidate by both Meza and Noroña, Delgado said her decision to represent Joaquín "El Chapo" Guzmán was purely professional and part of a quest to build her legal reputation.

As The Washington Post noted, some attorneys who defend drug traffickers are employed directly by criminal organizations, while others simply offer legal defense services. Delgado said her work for El Chapo fell into the latter category.