Former El Salvador President Sentenced to Six Years in Prison for Tax Evasion

 Former El Salvador President, Mauricio Funes, was sentenced to six years in prison for tax evasion by a court in El Salvador on Wednesday, July 5th, 2023. The sentence comes barely more than a month after he was sentenced to 14 years in prison for negotiating with the country's powerful street gangs during his administration.

Funes, 64, who governed El Salvador from 2009 to 2014, is the second former Salvadoran president to be sentenced to prison for illegal activity during his administration, with his predecessor, Tony Saca, receiving a 10-year sentence in 2018 after pleading guilty to diverting more than $300 million in state funds.

Prosecutors alleged Funes had dodged about $ 85,000 in taxes in 2014, his last year in office. While prosecutors had asked for an eight-year sentence, the court ultimately sentenced him to six years in prison and ordered him to pay $2,00,000 in fines and interest.

Despite the sentence, Funes will likely remain in Nicaragua, where he has lived since 2019 and been granted citizenship. The sentencing of Funes is part of a larger effort by El Salvador to hold its past presidents accountable for alleged criminal activity during their terms in office. Saca's sentence in 2018 marked the first time a former Salvadoran president had been convicted of a crime, and now Funes has become the second.

The fact that both of these cases have been brought to justice in a span of just five years speaks to the progress El Salvador has made in clamping down on government corruption and ensuring that its leaders are held accountable for their actions.

El Salvador’s fight against corruption is an ongoing battle, and the sentencing of Funes is a step in the right direction. By taking a firm stance against corruption, El Salvador is sending a message that it will not tolerate illegal activity by its leaders and is serious about cleaning up its government.

It is now up to El Salvador’s leaders to continue making progress in this fight and ensure that the country’s citizens can trust their government to act with integrity.