Corruption in El Salvador explained

Corruption in El Salvador is a problem at all levels of government, however, according to a poll conducted by the Cid-Gallup in February 2023, only 4 percent of Salvadorans believed corruption as the most pressing issue facing the country.[1]

Government corruption

Presidential corruption

On 6 September 2014, former President Francisco Flores Pérez (1999–2004) was arrested on corruption charges for allegedly misappropriating US$15 million during his presidency.[2] In December 2015, he was charged with embezzlement and illicit enrichment and was ordered to stand trial, but he died in January 2016 before his trial started.[3] In 2021, he was named in the Pandora Papers as having used companies in Panama and the British Virgin Islands to hide funds.[4]

On 10 February 2016, former President Mauricio Funes (2009–2014) was ordered by the Supreme Court to stand trial for alleged illegal enrichment after he was unable to verify the source of US$700,000 in his personal bank accounts.[5] He was found guilty of illegal enrichment on 28 November 2017 and was ordered to pay US$420,000.[6] Overall, Funes has been accused of embezzling US$351 million during his presidency.[7] On 23 February 2023, a judge ordered Funes to stand trial for allegedly laundering US$8.4 million through a Guatemalan company.[8] Funes remains in exile in Nicaragua after he was granted asylum in September 2016.[9]

In October 2016, Former President Antonio Saca (2004–2009) was arrested on corruption charges. On 12 September 2018, he was sentenced to ten years imprisonment after he pled guilty to embezzling and laundering US$300 million of public funds during his presidency. He was ordered to pay US$260 million.[10] On 19 September 2019, he was sentenced to an additional two years imprisonment for attempting to bribe a court official with US$10,000 for information regarding the initial corruption case against him.[11] On 5 January 2021, he was found guilty of illicit enrichment and was ordered to pay an additional US$4.4 million.[12]

In May 2021, the United States named five members of President Nayib Bukele's government as being corrupt.[13]

On 22 July 2021, the Attorney General Rodolfo Delgado ordered the arrest of former President Salvador Sánchez Cerén (2014–2019) as a part of a corruption probe. He was charged with embezzlement, money laundering, and illegal enrichment during his presidency. Sánchez Cerén remains in exile in Nicaragua.[14]

In October 2021, former President Alfredo Cristiani (1989–1994) was named in the Pandora Papers as having used companies in Panama and the British Virgin Islands to hide funds. In June 2023, Cristiani's properties were raided and seized by the office of the attorney general as a part of a "war against corruption".[15]

Negotiations with gangs

Salvadoran politicians from the Nationalist Republican Alliance (ARENA), the Grand Alliance for National Unity (GANA), Nuevas Ideas (NI), and the Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front (FMLN) have been accused of paying criminal gangs (Mara Salvatrucha and 18th Street gang) to support their electoral campaigns.[16] Criminal gangs were also known for organizing extortion schemes.[17]

Funes' government organized a truce between the government and the gangs to lower the country's crime rate between 2012 and 2014. Funes has denied ever granting the gangs "perks" during the truce.[18]

On 23 July 2020, David Munguía Payés, a former Minister of National Defense (2009–2011, 2013–2019), was arrested for allegedly negotiating a truce with gangs to reduce crime.[19]

In September 2020, the news website El Faro accused Bukele of secretly negotiating with gangs to lower the country's murder rate in exchange for better prison conditions. Bukele denied the accusations and launched an investigation into El Faro for money laundering.[20] In December 2012, the United States Department of the Treasury also accused Bukele of negotiating with gangs to lower the murder rate, which Bukele again denied.[21]

On 4 June 2021, Ernesto Muyshondt, a former mayor of San Salvador (2018–2021), was arrested under suspicion of having committed electoral fraud and illegal negotiations with criminal gangs to gain votes for ARENA in the 2014 presidential election.[22] [23] On 11 November 2022, Norman Quijano, a former mayor of San Salvador (2012–2015), was ordered to stand trial for allegedly offering gangs favors in exchange for their support for his 2014 presidential campaign.[24]

Other cases

In October 2021, two deputies of the Legislative Assembly, José Ilofio García Torres and Gerardo Balmore Aguilar Soriano, were accused of "conspiracy against the political institution" for allegedly being bribed with "perks" such as U.S. citizenship by the embassy of the United States in San Salvador to fracture 15 to 25 deputies of Nuevas Ideas to oppose Bukele's political agenda.[25] [26] The U.S. embassy denied the allegations.[27] In February 2023, García Torres was sentenced to three years imprisonment for corruption.[28]

Anti-corruption efforts

On 6 September 2019, Bukele announced the establishment of the International Commission Against Impunity in El Salvador (CICIES) (es) as a joint effort with the Organization of American States (OAS) to combat corruption, drug trafficking, and white collar crimes in the country. CICIES would cooperate with the anti-corruption unit of the National Civil Police (PNC).[29] CICIES was dissolved on 4 June 2021 by the Salvadoran government in protest of the OAS' decision to appoint Muyshondt as an anti-corruption advisor.[30]

Corruption Perceptions Index

The following graph and table display's El Salvador's placement and score in Transparency International's Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) since 1998, the first year the country was included in the index.

In the Corruption Perceptions Indexes of 1998 to 2011, countries were scored on a scale from 0 ("perceived as highly corrupt") to 10 ("perceived as very clean"). The rank in the Index was computed separately from the score. In the methodology used to create these Indexes, the ranks and scores were not intended to be compared from year to year; a country's rank or score in a given year's Index is meaningful only in relation the ranks and scores of other countries that year.[31]

Rank by year
Score by year
YearRankScore
1998513.6[32]
1999493.9[33]
2000434.1[34]
2001543.6[35]
2002623.4[36]
2003593.7[37]
2004514.2[38]
2005514.2[39]
2006574.0[40]
2007674.0[41]
2008673.9[42]
2009843.4[43]
2010783.6[44]
2011803.4[45]

Starting in 2012, a different methodology was used to create the CPI. The 1998-2011 Corruption Perception Indexes are therefore not directly comparable with the Indexes of 2012 and after.

To underline the difference between the two sets of Indexes, those of 2012 and after score countries on a scale from 0 ("highly corrupt") to 100 ("very clean"), in contrast to the 0 to 10 scale of the 1998-2011 Indexes. The countries are then ranked by score; the country ranked first is perceived to have the most honest public sector. Scores computed for the 2012 CPI and afterwards can be meaningfully compared from year to year, as long as the year is 2012 or later[46] [47]

YearRankRank ΔScoreScore Δ
201283n/a38n/a[48]
201383 038 0[49]
201480 339 1[50]
201572 839 0[51]
201695 2336 3[52]
2017112 1733 3[53]
2018105 735 2[54]
2019113 834 1[55]
2020104 936 2[56]
2021115 1134 2[57]
2022116 133 1[58]
2023126 1031 2[59]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Cid Gallup: Salvadoreños Perciben Menor Corrupción que Otros Países. Cid Gallup: Salvadoran Perceive Less Corruption to Other Countries. es. 23 February 2023. 23 February 2023. El Mundo.
  2. Web site: El Salvador Ex-President Francisco Flores Turns Himself In. 6 September 2014. 23 February 2023. en. BBC.
  3. Web site: Former President of El Salvador Francisco Flores Dead at 56. en. USA Today. 31 January 2016. 23 February 2023. San Salvador, El Salvador.
  4. Web site: Los Más Poderosos de América Latina y Sus Vinculaciones con Negocios 'Offshore' en los 'Papeles de Pandora'. The Most Powerful of Latin America and Their Bindings with "Offshore" Investments in the "Pandora Papers". es. 3 October 2021. Danielle. Grasso. Georgina. Zerega. José A.. Álvarez. 23 February 2023. El País.
  5. Web site: Ex-President of El Salvador Faces Trial Over Source of $700,000. en. Reuters. 10 February 2016. 23 February 2023. San Salvador, El Salvador. Nelson. Renteria.
  6. Web site: El Salvador Court Finds Ex-President Funes Illegally Enriched Himself. 28 November 2017. 23 February 2023. en. Reuters. Nelson. Renteria.
  7. Web site: El Salvador's Top Court Approves Extradition Request for Ex-President Funes. Nelson. Renteria. en. 21 March 2019. 25 February 2023. Reuters. https://web.archive.org/web/20221208134514/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-el-salvador-corruption-idUSKCN1R303P. 8 December 2022. live.
  8. Web site: El Salvador: Expresidente Funes, Juicio por Lavado de Activo. El Salvador: Former President Funes, Trial for Asset Laundering. Associated Press. 23 February 2023. 25 February 2023. es. San Salvador, El Salvador.
  9. Web site: Former El Salvador President Granted Asylum in Nicaragua, Government Says. en. The Guardian. 6 September 2016. 23 February 2023. Betsy. Reed.
  10. Web site: Former El Salvador President Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison. en. Reuters. 12 September 2018. 23 February 2023. Nelson. Renteria.
  11. Web site: Former El Salvador President Saca Gets Two-Year Prison Term for Bribery. en. Reuters. Nelson. Renteria. 19 September 2019. 23 February 2023.
  12. Web site: El Salvador Court Convicts Ex-President of Illicit Enrichment. 5 January 2021. 23 February 2023. AP News. San Salvador, El Salvador.
  13. Web site: U.S. Names El Salvador President's Aide on "Corrupt Officials" List. 17 May 2021. 23 February 2023. Reuters. Nelson. Renteria. Ted. Hesson.
  14. Web site: El Salvador Orders Arrest of Ex-President Sánchez Cerén in Graft Probe. en. 22 July 2021. 23 February 2023. Reuters. Nelson. Renteria. San Salvador, El Salvador.
  15. Web site: Bukele Anuncia Allanamientos en Propiedades de Expresidente Cristiani. es. 1 June 2023. 1 June 2023. El Mundo.
  16. Web site: Political Mafias Helped Empower Gangs, Says El Salvador Security Expert. en. 24 January 2019. 23 February 2023. Héctor. Silva Ávalos. InSight Crime.
  17. Web site: Corrupt State Actors. en. 23 February 2023. InSight Crime. 26 April 2019 .
  18. Web site: Former El Salvador President Denies Giving Perks to Gangs. Daugherty. Arron. 8 February 2016. InSight Crime. 23 February 2023.
  19. Web site: Ex-Salvadoran Defense Minister Arrested for Suspected Role in Gang Truce. en. 23 July 2020. 23 February 2023. Reuters. Nelson. Renteria. San Salvador, El Salvador.
  20. Web site: El Salvador's Millennial President is a Man with One Vision: Power. en. Los Angeles Times. 16 May 2021. 24 February 2023. Kate. Linthicum.
  21. Web site: From Bad to Worse: Nayib Bukele's Split with Washington. 15 December 2021. 24 February 2023. Stephen. McFarland. Americas Quarterly.
  22. Web site: PNC Captura al Ernesto Muyshondt por Apropiación Indebida de Retenciones en Perjuicio de la Hacienda Pública. PNC Captures Ernesto Muyshondt for Misappropriation of Retentions to the Detriment of the Public Finance. es. Julio. Villarán. 4 June 2021. 4 June 2021. La Página.
  23. Web site: El Salvador Ends Anti-Corruption Accord with OAS, Dismaying U.S.. 4 June 2021. 8 June 2021. Reuters.
  24. Web site: Norman Quijano Enfrentará Juicio por Negociar con Pandillas. Norman Quijano to Face Trial for Negotiating with Gangs. 11 November 2022. 23 February 2023. es. El Mundo. Leonardo. Cerón.
  25. Web site: El Salvador: Partido Oficialista Separa a Dos Diputados por "Conspiración". El Salvador: Party Officially Separates from Two Deputies for "Conspiracy". es. 30 October 2021. 23 February 2023. DW.
  26. Web site: Nuevas Ideas Separará de la Fracción a los Dos Diputados Implicados en la Conspiración. es. Nuevas Ideas Separates the Two Deputies Implicated in the Conspiracy from the Fraction. Diario La Huella. 30 October 2021. 23 February 2023.
  27. Web site: Statement from U.S. Embassy Spokesperson. 31 October 2021. 23 February 2023. en. Embassy of the United States, San Salvador.
  28. Web site: Exdiputado que Aceptó Soborno a Cambio de Favores Políticos es Condenado a Tres Años de Cárcel. Ex-Deputy who Accepted Bribe in Exchange for Political Favors is Condemned to Three Years in Prison. es. Diario La Huella. 20 February 2023. 23 February 2023.
  29. Web site: ¿Cómo Funcionará la CICIES?. How Will CICIES Function?. es. La Prensa Gráfica. 7 September 2019. 23 February 2023.
  30. Web site: Fiscal Impuesto da por Finalizado Convenio con la CICIES tras Nombramiento de Ernesto Muyshondt como Asesor de la OEA. Tax Prosecutor Terminates Agreement with CICIES after Appointment of Ernesto Muyshondt as OAS Advisor. es. El Salvador.com. Xiomara. Alfaro. Jorge. Beltrán. 4 June 2021. 23 February 2023.
  31. . Corruption Perceptions Index 2011 Frequently Asked Questions . 2_CPI2011_FAQS_EN.pdf . Berlin . Transparency International . 1 December 2011 . Can country/territory scores in the 2011 CPI be compared to those in past indexes? The CPI is not designed to allow for country scores to be compared over time. This is because the index draws on a country’s rank in the original data sources, rather than its score. A rank will always deliver only relative information – and therefore a ranking is a one off assessment. A country’s rank in a given data source can change a) if perceptions of corruption in other countries included in that source change or b) if countries are added or removed from that data source. . 2023-07-16.
  32. Web site: Corruption Perceptions Index 1998. Transparency International. en. 23 February 2023.
  33. Web site: Corruption Perceptions Index 1999. Transparency International. en. 23 February 2023.
  34. Web site: Corruption Perceptions Index 2000. Transparency International. en. 23 February 2023.
  35. Web site: Corruption Perceptions Index 2001. Transparency International. en. 23 February 2023.
  36. Web site: Corruption Perceptions Index 2002. Transparency International. en. 23 February 2023.
  37. Web site: Corruption Perceptions Index 2003. Transparency International. en. 23 February 2023.
  38. Web site: Corruption Perceptions Index 2004. Transparency International. en. 23 February 2023.
  39. Web site: Corruption Perceptions Index 2005. Transparency International. en. 23 February 2023.
  40. Web site: Corruption Perceptions Index 2006. Transparency International. en. 23 February 2023.
  41. Web site: Corruption Perceptions Index 2007. Transparency International. en. 23 February 2023.
  42. Web site: Corruption Perceptions Index 2008. Transparency International. en. 23 February 2023.
  43. Web site: Corruption Perceptions Index 2009. Transparency International. en. 23 February 2023.
  44. Web site: Corruption Perceptions Index 2010. Transparency International. en. 23 February 2023.
  45. Web site: Corruption Perceptions Index 2011. Transparency International. en. 23 February 2023.
  46. Web site: The ABCs of the CPI: How the Corruption Perceptions Index is calculated . 14 July 2023 . Transparency.org. en.
  47. Web site: Corruption Perceptions Index 2012: An updated methodology . . www.transparency.org . Transparency International . 16 July 2023 . To reflect the updates that have been made to the methodology, the CPI 2012 will henceforth be presented on a 0-100 scale. This is to clearly demonstrate that scores from the CPI 2011 and previous editions should not be compared with scores from 2012.
  48. Web site: Corruption Perceptions Index 2012. Transparency International. en. 16 July 2023.
  49. Web site: Corruption Perceptions Index 2013. Transparency International. en. 16 July 2023.
  50. Web site: Corruption Perceptions Index 2014. Transparency International. en. 16 July 2023.
  51. Web site: Corruption Perceptions Index 2015. Transparency International. en. 16 July 2023.
  52. Web site: Corruption Perceptions Index 2016. Transparency International. en. 16 July 2023.
  53. Web site: Corruption Perceptions Index 2017. Transparency International. en. 16 July 2023.
  54. Web site: Corruption Perceptions Index 2018. Transparency International. en. 16 July 2023.
  55. Web site: Corruption Perceptions Index 2019. Transparency International. en. 16 July 2023.
  56. Web site: Corruption Perceptions Index 2020. Transparency International. en. 16 July 2023.
  57. Web site: Corruption Perceptions Index 2021. Transparency International. en. 16 July 2023.
  58. Web site: Corruption Perceptions Index 2022. Transparency International. en. 16 July 2023.
  59. Web site: Corruption Perceptions Index 2023. Transparency International. en. 16 July 2023.

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