One of the missions of the diplomat Ricardo Zúñiga is to monitor the achievement of the goals of the fight against corruption in El Salvador.
On Wednesday afternoon, Joe Biden’s government envoy for Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador will meet with the Attorney General of the Republic, Raúl Melara, and the head of the International Commission Against Impunity in El Salvador (CICIES), Ronalth Ochaeta.
One of the main missions of the diplomat in charge of the Northern Triangle is to monitor progress in the fight against corruption in these countries. This fight against the misuse of public funds is one of the priorities of the Biden government, which sees this practice as one of the main causes of irregular migration, as it uses the necessary resources to meet the needs of the most vulnerable populations .
The Bukele government has been flagged for signs of corruption, particularly in the procurement of medical equipment and basic goods during the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition, the administration has made efforts to conceal and reserve details of government expenditures, bind the Institute’s hands from access to public information, and obstruct audits of the Court of Auditors of the Republic.
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Therefore, on his first day in El Salvador, he will meet two protagonists in the fight against corruption.
Currently, the Office of the Attorney General of the Republic is investigating some of these indications and has even raided the Ministry of Health. The prosecutor Melara even said at the time that the CICIES had sent him information about alleged illegal purchases.
In March, it was even revealed that the CICIES had sent three communications to the Public Prosecution Service for alleged corruption in public administration. All cases referred by the Commission are for alleged illegal negotiations and are currently under investigation. It is not detailed which public institutions are involved in the illicit assumptions.
Currently, there is a proposal to approve the CICIES framework agreement through legislative approval and give the commission more independence and teeth to better investigate corruption.
This meeting of Zúñiga takes place at the end of a two-day visit to Guatemala, where he met President Alejandro Giammattei and numerous cabinet members. There he emphasized that the rule of law and democratic governance are central axes in Joe Biden’s policy towards the region.
He also had three working groups: one on security and the fight against smuggling, one on economic opportunities and one on migration.