U.S. names El Salvador president's aide on "corrupt officials" list
May 17, 2021
10:31 PM CDT
Americas
Ted Hesson
3 minute read
Sigfrido Reyes leaves after a news conference at the Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front (FMLN) in San Salvador, El Salvador, March 5, 2018. Picture taken on March 5, 2018. REUTERS/Jose Cabezas
A U.S. State Department report on Central American officials "credibly alleged" to be corrupt includes a member of Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele's cabinet and a former minister, according to an extract of the document leaked on Monday.
The report also includes two opposition figures and a lawmaker in Bukele's alliance. A U.S. congressional aide told Reuters that the document circulating in El Salvador media was accurate.
The document emerged less than a week after the U.S. special envoy for Central America, Ricardo Zuniga, visited the country and met Bukele amid a push from Washington to curb corruption and address a lack of judicial independence and weak rule of law in the region.
Zuniga said his visit aimed to express Washington's disapproval of Bukele's recent removal of top judges and the attorney general as unconstitutional.
More:
https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/us-names-bukele-aide-el-salvador-corruption-list-2021-05-18/?rpc=401&
