The official was notified to the Prosecutor’s Office for the death of a colonel in Mali. The legislature recommended removing him from office.
The Minister of Defense, René Francis Merino Monroy, was promoted to the rank of Vice Admiral, the highest rank in the El Salvador Naval Force.
The promotion was registered in the General Order no. 12/020 of the previous December 31, of which El Diario de Hoy obtained a copy.
Along with Merino Monroy, Carlos Alberto Tejada Murcia, Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces, was also promoted to the rank of Major General (the highest in the army), according to the document.
Tur Apopa
At the end of order 14/020 it is indicated that the appointments of such a document will enter into force on 1 January 2021.
Despite this, Merino Monroy hung the insignia of the Vice Admiral on December 31, when the General Order was signed by the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Nayib Bukele, and he as Minister of National Defense, still with the rank of retired Admiral.
In various tweets published on the night of December 31 by the Presidential Press Secretariat, Merino Monroy appeared walking the streets of Apopa. The palm and the three stars have already appeared on his hat.
Merino Monroy was promoted to Rear Admiral on December 31, 2019, a promotion that was questioned by military leaders because, presumably, he was no longer in an active situation, as the Military Career Act indicates that when he turned 55 with the rank of Colonel, it automatically enters the reserve state.
In addition, the Promotion Court has been reformed, replacing one of its members with another who could approve the promotion of the then naval captain, in violation of the Military Career Law and the resolution of the Constitutional Chamber, said military lawyers consulted.
Complaints and dismissal recommendation
Merino Monroy’s career as defense minister has been questioned, which is underscored by military leaders who criticize the promotion of the official.
Merino Monroy was reported to the Attorney General’s Office for the death of a lieutenant colonel, a pilot, in the contingent of Salvadoran troops stationed in Mali.
In addition, in September last year, the Legislative Assembly recommended his dismissal after being questioned for his role in taking over the Legislative Assembly on February 9, 2020, an act that has been described nationally and internationally as a coup, for which which police and military forces broke into the Blue Room of the legislative palace.
In this case, the President of the Republic, Nayib Bukele, usurped the functions of the President of the Legislative Body to pressure the deputies to approve a loan of 9 million dollars which, allegedly, would have been destined to the Territorial Control Plan that his government is developing.
The territorial control plan was promoted by the Executive as a strategy that allowed the homicides to decrease, however, the digital newspaper El Faro published a few months ago evidence that the Bukele government agreed to an armistice with gang groups.
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