El Salvador's Attorney General's office announced on Thursday that former President Salvador Sanchez Ceren and nine key officials from a previous government had been ordered detained as part of a money laundering and corruption investigation.
Sanchez Ceren was out of the country, according to the office, but five former high-ranking members of former President Mauricio Funes' government from 2009 to 2014 were jailed.
At the time, Sanchez Ceren was vice president, and he would go on to become president the next term. President Nayib Bukele, his successor, has been chastised for a series of questionable measures, including the removal of the attorney general and the closure of an anti-corruption office.
Sanchez Ceren and the other officials are wanted on charges of money laundering, embezzlement, and illegal enrichment, according to the Attorney General's office. They include former directors of the health, finance, labour, agricultural, and environment ministries.
Sanchez Ceren could not be reached for comment right away. In a statement, the Attorney General's office claimed, "They were favoured with the payment of incentives."
Attorney General Rodolfo Delgado said during a press conference that he would seek foreign assistance in locating Sanchez Ceren. He stated, "We've issued arrest warrants and will later submit a red alert for Interpol to activate its search procedures against Salvador Sanchez Ceren." Sanchez Ceren, according to Bukele, is a "fugitive from justice" who fled the nation in December 2020.
Follow the latest news on Google News
