US Charge Top Officials Close to Bukele with Corruption

On Tuesday, the U.S. State Department reported that five Salvadorean officials and close allies of president Nayib Bukele had been accused of corruption, alongside lawmakers from Honduras and Guatemala.

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The office of U.S. Representative Norma Torres released a list noticing that "the U.S. government acknowledges the corruption that Central American authoritarians and their henchmen deny and try to hide," Torres said in a statement.

The move comes as Joe Biden's administration seeks to strengthen its presence in Central America by "addressing the root causes of migration," and corruption within the government has been cast as one of them. Last week the U.S. special envoy for Central America, Ricardo Zuniga, met with Bukele in El Salvador to discuss corruption.

One of the most extraordinary revelations is the inclusion on the list of Bukele’s cabinet chief, Carolina Recinos, who has accompanied him through most of his political career. Other top officials include former ministers of justice and security, Rogelio Rivas and Guillermo Gallegos, who played a significant role in supporting Bukele during the 2019 elections.