The prosecutor takes five former FMLN officers to court

The Office of the Attorney General (FGR) yesterday morning formally indicted ten former officials of the Mauritius Fonseca Cartagena (2009-2014) government on charges of money laundering and property fraud and illegal enrichment.

Defendants were transferred by the Jaguar Police team to the Isitro Menandez Judicial Center in San Salvador under tight security. Each was protected by bulletproof vests and armored helmets. Meanwhile, in front of the courts, dozens of FMLN militants protested the arrest.

“All of these people are accused of illegal enrichment and money and property fraud; the duration of the trial is similar to the time they held different public office during their presidency (Mauricio Funes),” the attorney general said in a lawsuit filed in Second Salvador Court in San Salvador.

Read more: Five captive former FMLN officers produced in court and charged with two counts

The lawyer for the anti-money laundering special unit, who asked not to be identified, confirmed that one of the main reasons for the allegation was that the former officers received monthly money and money from the private secretariat of the government’s presidential secretariat. In turn, without including their nominal salary. “This amount of money was obtained outside the law,” he said.

According to the attorney’s office, the defendants now received the money in envelopes and followed guidelines to prevent the money from being paid. When questioned about what guidelines they followed, the public prosecutor explained that they were asked if the money was banked or not reported.

However, Jose Emilio Gonzlez Castro, Violeta Menzov பிரதானr’s chief attorney and legal representative of the arrested former officers, said he was waiting for the full requirement to be reconsidered and that the prosecutor’s office would determine whether specific offenses apply in each case. The accused.

“We do not know how many pages are needed. We know there are five boxes,” said Gonzalez Castro, who said he would seek alternative measures to arrest Violeta Menzovar due to her health, but did not provide details.

Former finance minister Carlos Gonzalez is awaiting court summons. Photo EDH / Menly Cortes

At the conclusion of the petition, defense attorneys Carlos Cicero, Violetta Menzver, Erlinda Handal and Calicsto Mejia will be taken to forensic medicine to determine their health.

If they do not need emergency medical assistance, all five will be detained in the Bartolinas of the Directorate of Border Security and the Directorate of BNC Transport until the initial investigation takes place on Tuesday.

Pictures: Former FMLN officers transferred to court for formal charges

Former officers were arrested Thursday, while an arrest warrant was issued for former Public Works Minister Manuel Orlando Quinteros Aguilar (Gerson Martinez); Like Lena, former Environment Minister; Jose Manuel Melker, former Secretary of Defense and former Private Secretary to the President; Jose Guillermo Belarmino Lopez, former Minister of Agriculture and Livestock, and Salvador Sanchez Seron, former Vice President and later President of the Republic.

The lawyer in this case was arrested as a result of an investigation launched in the case of Mauricio Fuens in 2019. He has been involved in illegal enrichment activities by collecting up to $ 350 million from public funds and is currently on the run and asylum under Daniel Ortega’s regime.

Criticisms of the Attorney’s Office

Various organizations have spoken out since the capture of five former officials of the Mauritius Funes government, including the Law Enforcement Foundation (Phosphate).

According to the Facebook report, the former officers were arrested “with clear signs of abuse of power and arbitrariness.” The agency argues that it is necessary to respect the defendant’s innocence and that at the end of the criminal process, only with a final and definitive sentence, they can justify the crime.

“The actions of the state apparatus put El Salvador in the background of the 70s and 80s of the last century, in which respect for civil rights was far less than an aspiration,” Fespot denounced.

When Menjiver was detained last Thursday, July 22, her lawyer said she was “deceived into patrolling, explaining that her rights had not been studied and that they were conducting routine investigations.”

For his part, Humberto Sean, attorney general for Axion Ciudadana, said: “It is surprising that they have identified some of the officers and deputy ministers, but by chance the ministers of the same state portfolios did not appear. I’m hard to believe, “he said.

Sean believes, “This choice sends a message that can mean persecution rather than an interest in creating justice.

FMLN leaders questioned the procedures of the police officers and the prosecutor’s office in connection with the arrest of former officers of their party. Describing them as arbitrary, they called the prisoners political prisoners of the Naib Bukhale government and demanded their immediate release.

All of the accused are members of the FMLN, from which Buckell was expelled.