Mexican Prosecutor Accused Of Coverup Investigating Death Of His Brother, Prosecutor Accused Of Protecting Brother Of Salinas Newsday

The former federal prosecutor who headed the inquiry into the assassination of his politician brother was interrogated Thursday on charges that he kept the name of Raul Salinas de Gortari out of the case.

Mario Ruiz Massieu, the younger brother of Jose Francisco Ruiz Massieu, the slain governing party leader, apparently sought to protect former President Carlos Salinas de Gortari by deleting the name of Salinas’ brother from the case file, a government official said Thursday.

Raul Salinas was charged Tuesday with plotting the assassination.

“Several people we interrogated mentioned Raul Salinas de Gortari as a suspect but this was never noted in the record of the Ruiz Massieu investigation,” an official in the attorney general’s office said.

“Why was Raul Salinas de Gortari left out?” asked the official, who asked not to be identified. “Why was the investigation derailed? Another crime may have been committed here.”

Mario Ruiz Massieu insisted Wednesday that he at “no moment” had information on Raul Salinas’ involvement in the crime, but he declined comment Thursday when he arrived to meet with prosecutors.

The young former deputy attorney general drew praise last December when he accused leaders of the Institutional Revolutionary Party of blocking his investigation, quit his job and joined the leftist opposition.

But his credibility seems to be fading quickly, analysts say.