San Salvador, El Salvador.
A criminal court in El Salvador instituted a trial against the former president this Tuesday Mauricio Funes (2009-2014) by Allegations of corruptionAs reported Attorney General (FGR).
“Due to the documentary, testimony and expert evidence that we have, this (hearing) will last one to two weeks,” a representative of the FGR said in a video broadcast on X without identifying himself.
He explained that the case was related to “illegal negotiations regarding the construction of a bridge in El Salvador” and the alleged connection to the delivery of the aircraft.
The agency pointed out that Funes “is accused of having, between 2012 and 2014, held illegal negotiations on the construction of a bridge in Saladenango and accepted a small plane as a gift.”
Funes, who ruled the country under the banner of the historic Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front (FMLN, left) between 2009 and 2014, has lived in Nicaragua since 2016 and holds that country's nationality.
In May 2022, Funez was sentenced to 14 years in prison for crimes committed within the framework of a fight between gangs during his government, while in July 2023 he was sentenced to 6 years in prison for tax fraud.
The former journalist was convicted in civil cases and other criminal cases have been opened for embezzlement of more than 351 million state funds and corruption in the construction of the dam.
Corruption charges attributed to Funes and former president Salvador Sánchez Cerén (2014-2019) from the FMLN have brought this political formation to the fore, and they currently have no representation in Congress, nor do they govern any of the 262. Districts of the country
