Former president Saca now under the microscope
Former Salvadoran presidents Francisco Flores and Mauricio Funes have already come under suspicion of corruption during their terms as president. Unfortunately, Flores passed away last month. Funes is fighting civil charges right now. Both investigations are positive signs for El Salvador.
However, they are not just about individual corruption scandals. The money that Flores allegedly stole from Taiwanese donations following the 2001 earthquake seemed to have been standard operating procedure for ARENA. The funds benefited individual politics and the party.
The details of Funes' illicit enrichment with regards to other beneficiaries, on the other hand, are less clear. There have been concerns that Funes used his time in office to financially benefit some of the "Friends of Mauricio" who helped coordinate his 2009 political campaign.
One of the complaints that we have had concerning El Salvador's criminal justice system is that they do a lousy job of breaking up networks of criminal activity. They are happy with a prosecution here and there but they are unable to disrupt large, sophisticated networks. Why? Not really sure. Some combination of under-resourced, philosophy, lack of political will, corruption.
Now we have a third president to fall under a cloud of smoke. That's not really fair. Former ARENA president and now GANA leader has been with suspicion for a decade. Here's Aaron Daugherty of Insight Crime:
Who knows? A fourth president could be investigated for corruption (the banking privatization scandals that everyone believes dwarfs current corruption investigations) or for his involvement in the Jesuit murders as well. The latter is more likely than the former but things can change quickly.
However, they are not just about individual corruption scandals. The money that Flores allegedly stole from Taiwanese donations following the 2001 earthquake seemed to have been standard operating procedure for ARENA. The funds benefited individual politics and the party.
The details of Funes' illicit enrichment with regards to other beneficiaries, on the other hand, are less clear. There have been concerns that Funes used his time in office to financially benefit some of the "Friends of Mauricio" who helped coordinate his 2009 political campaign.
One of the complaints that we have had concerning El Salvador's criminal justice system is that they do a lousy job of breaking up networks of criminal activity. They are happy with a prosecution here and there but they are unable to disrupt large, sophisticated networks. Why? Not really sure. Some combination of under-resourced, philosophy, lack of political will, corruption.
Now we have a third president to fall under a cloud of smoke. That's not really fair. Former ARENA president and now GANA leader has been with suspicion for a decade. Here's Aaron Daugherty of Insight Crime:
Meanwhile the Supreme Court has informed Funes' predecessor, ElÃas Antonio Saca (2004-2009), that he must account for over $6 million in personal income, according to a separate Diario Latino report. Saca's financial records show a personal gain of over $13 million during his presidential term, much of which Saca has labeled simply as "other activities and investments," the report added.
Saca was accused of money laundering in 2013, and a US Embassy cable divulged on WikiLeaks went so far as to say his corruption "went beyond the pale," which earned him criticism even from members of his own conservative party ARENA.El Salvador is at a critical juncture. Three significant corruption cases against former presidents have shown some positive movement in recent months. The country's political and judicial institutions are also being tested by Spanish authorities efforts to prosecute a variety of military officials for the Jesuits' murders in 1989.
Who knows? A fourth president could be investigated for corruption (the banking privatization scandals that everyone believes dwarfs current corruption investigations) or for his involvement in the Jesuit murders as well. The latter is more likely than the former but things can change quickly.
Post a Comment