Posted: Thursday, October 2, 2025. 2:12 pm CST.
By Zoila Palma: A Salvadoran court has sentenced 3 former officials from the country’s main opposition parties, ARENA and FMLN, for negotiating electoral support from the MS-13 and Barrio 18 gangs during the 2014 presidential and 2015 legislative elections, Latin America reports.
On September 30, former San Salvador mayor Ernesto Muyshondt was sentenced to 18 years in prison, while ex-Security Minister Benito Lara and former Governance Minister Arístides Valencia each received 28 years. Journalist Paolo Luers and former FMLN advisor Wilson Alvarado were also sentenced to 18 years.
According to prosecutors, the officials held at least 17 meetings with gang leaders, offering payments and policy concessions in exchange for votes. Testimony and video evidence revealed that both ARENA and the FMLN sought gang support, with media reporting that as much as $550,000 USD was delivered to MS-13 and Barrio 18 leaders.
The case followed earlier reports by investigative outlet El Faro that exposed the negotiations.
While several defendants remain at large, the convictions add to a series of rulings against political figures accused of striking deals with gangs.
Earlier this year, former ARENA presidential candidate Norman Quijano was sentenced in absentia to more than 13 years in prison, while ex-President Mauricio Funes, who initiated a gang truce in 2012, was sentenced to 14 years before fleeing to Nicaragua.
The trial has sparked political controversy, with some defendants claiming persecution by President Nayib Bukele’s administration. Muyshondt called himself a political prisoner, while FMLN figures denounced the verdict as politically motivated.
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The post International News: El Salvador sentences former officials for Gang negotiations appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
Posted: Thursday, October 2, 2025. 2:12 pm CST. By Zoila Palma: A Salvadoran court has sentenced 3 former officials from the country’s main opposition parties, ARENA
The post International News: El Salvador sentences former officials for Gang negotiations appeared first on Belize News and Opinion on www.breakingbelizenews.com.
