El Salvador sentences former president to 6 years in jail
July 6, 2023
Former President of El Salvador Mauricio Funes has been sentenced to a six-year prison term for tax evasion, Salvadoran authorities announced Wednesday.
This is the second conviction and imprisonment handed down to the former leftist leader this year.
However, Funes currently resides in Nicaragua and holds Nicaraguan citizenship. Nicaragua does not allow the extradition of its citizens.
What else does the ruling against Mauricio Funes say?
The ruling also mandates Funes to pay over $200,000 (€184,000) in fines after being found guilty of evading approximately $85,000 in taxes dating back to 2014.
Earlier this year, the former president was sentenced to 14 years in prison for his involvement with criminal organizations and his failure to fulfill his duty in protecting the country's residents.
David Munguia, a former justice and defense minister, has also received an 18-year prison sentence in relation to the same case.
Salvadoran Attorney General Rodolfo Delgado previously stated that both Munguia and Funes acted as members of criminal gangs by negotiating a truce between these groups in exchange for electoral advantages.
Mauricio Funes served as the president of El Salvador from 2009 to 2014 and obtained Nicaraguan citizenship in 2019.
tg/wd (AFP,Reuters)