Biden and Central America's Anti-Corruption Crusade
EL SALVADOR
/ 15 FEB 2021 BY HÉCTOR SILVA ÁVALOS
There are high hopes that the new US administration of President Joe Biden will provide a shot-in-the-arm to anti-corruption efforts in Central America, perhaps even leading to the creation of a regional commission that helps local prosecutors investigate major corruption cases.
But launching such a commission would be no easy feat.
During election, the Biden campaign proposed a Central America plan advocating for the creation of a regional anti-corruption commission similar to the International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala (Comisión Internacional Contra la Impunidad en Guatemala – CICIG), designed to “fight corruption, build more robust domestic institutions, and help local prosecutors pursue corruption.”
Multiple sources consulted by InSight Crime in Washington DC and Central America say that creating an institution similar to the CICIG will be complicated and believe that the Biden administration will first resort to other strategies, like restructuring cooperation efforts with the local Attorney General’s Offices and revoking the visas of corrupt officials so as to put pressure on the governments of Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador. The administration may also mandate the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), or the State Department’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) to help investigate complex cases.
“While there is talk of a regional initiative, clear and decisive action will be required in the short term to indicate that the fight against corruption will be a priority for this administration,” says Adriana Beltrán, Director of the Citizen Security Program at the Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA).
More:
https://insightcrime.org/news/will-biden-spearhead-creation-anti-corruption-commission-central-america/
