Former president of El Salvador sentenced to prison

The former president of El Salvador, Mauricio Funes, was sentenced to 14 years in prison for “collaborating with gangs.”

According to regional press reports, the court reported that Funes reached an agreement with the gangs to reduce homicide rates in the country and, in exchange, granted some concessions to the gang leaders in jails. Announcing his decision after witness testimony, the expert report and the defendants’ statements, the court sentenced Funes to 14 years in prison.

The court also sentenced former Security Minister, retired General David Munguía Payés, to 18 years in prison on a similar charge. Payés, in his statement at the end of the hearing, argued that he admitted that there were many irregularities, but that the accusations against him had no legal basis.

Gang leaders were alleged to host jail parties and participate in illegal events in exchange for a deal.

Funes, 64, who served in the country between 2009 and 2014, became a Nicaraguan citizen in 2019 to avoid extradition. Funes, who served as El Salvador’s president from 2009 to 2014, has been accused of embezzlement, corruption and money laundering. Funes has an arrest warrant for 4 different crimes. (AA)