Former Salvadorian President Sentenced to 14 Years for Overseeing Mara/Barrio 18 Gang Truce

By Socalj 5/30/2023 04:33:00 PM
“Socalj” for Borderland Beat

Former Salvadoran President Mauricio Funes was sentenced to 14 years in prison on charges of negotiating with gangs and illegal groups. Funes was found guilty of having ties to criminal groups and for which he was sentenced to 8 years in prison, while another 6 years were added to his sentence for the crime of breach of duty.

In 2012 and 2014 the government of El Salvador under the command of Funes maintained an armistice with the Mara Salvatrucha gangs, Barrio 18, and other minority groups with the aim of reducing homicide figures.

The so-called gang truce, negotiated in 2012, was initially reported by the news outlet El Faro. It in fact had resulted in a drop in homicides and was even recognized by the Organization of American States (OAS), whose secretary general at the time, José Miguel Insulza, said that the OAS would be the guarantor of the agreement.

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In a message on Twitter, the former president argued it was “an unfair sentence without any evidence.” “The FGR did not present any proof that the benefits supposedly received by the gang members were authorized by the presidency. There is no doubt that the Specialized Investigating Court is obeying the right,” he added.

More:
http://www.borderlandbeat.com/2023/05/former-salvadorian-president-sentenced.html