By Luis De Jesus
Apr 26, 2024, 9:02 PM EDT
The Attorney General’s Office of El Salvador announced this Friday the arrest of presidential commissioner Christian Herson Flores Sandoval for alleged bribery and President Nayib Bukele affirmed that his government will continue to apply its anti-corruption policies.
In a statement released by the Attorney General’s Office, it is detailed that Flores allegedly took advantage of his position to demand money from people and companies in exchange for benefits and privileges in government projects.
The authorities stated that this arrest marks the beginning of a broader investigation to identify responsibilities and other possible corruption crimes. The detainee will be presented before the corresponding courts to face the legal process.
President Nayib Bukele reacted to the news through his X account: “It is not the first, and it will not be the last either. If God allows it, our war against corruption will be as successful as our war against gangs.”
Bukele added in the publication the video of a meeting he had with his cabinet last December, when he asked the attorney general of El Salvador, Rodolfo Delgado, to investigate all officials in his government and also announced the construction of a megaprison for the corrupt.
“There is something that I am afraid of, and that is leaving a bad legacy. And there are presidents, some prisoners, others fugitives, but, for the most part, they are remembered as thieves. I don’t want to be remembered as a thief. So I don’t steal,” he said.
“There was a president, who people said at that time: ‘the president is not a thief, but he surrounded himself with thieves.’ And at some point he represented hope for the Salvadoran people, but if it is true that he did not steal… what a fool he was! Because he was the hope of the people, he did not touch a cent and stained his legacy by surrounding himself with thieves. That’s not going to happen to me, I’m not going to be the president who didn’t steal, but he surrounded himself with thieves,” he added before his cabinet.
The president emphasized that he prefers that the people of El Salvador remember him as the president “who did not steal” and who did not let any of his officials steal.
“There are a couple (of officials) who are in jail. Here we have three institutions, but mainly the prosecutor’s office. And we are about to start the construction of Cecoc (Corruption Confinement Center), no joke. It is close to Cecot (Terrorism Confinement Center). There are people that I have known for a long time, there are others that I have known for less time, there are some that I am fond of, who have been loyal, hard-working, but that does not give them any license to touch the people’s money,” he stated.
Christian Flores’ assistant arrested
The Attorney General’s Office of El Salvador also reported that, as part of the investigations into former presidential commissioner Christian Flores, it ordered the capture of his assistant José Ángel Quintanilla Rosales, as a necessary accomplice.
“Quintanilla Rosales participated in these events and will be presented to the corresponding courts in the coming days. From the Attorney General’s Office of the Republic we will continue with the necessary investigations against acts of corruption.
#Update | As part of the investigations into Presidential Commissioner Christian Flores, accused of Improper Bribery, the @FGR_SV has issued an arrest warrant for his assistant, José Ángel Quintanilla Rosales, as a necessary accomplice.
Quintanilla Rosales had… pic.twitter.com/Oq33pKzEfg
— Attorney General’s Office of the Republic El Salvador (@FGR_SV) April 26, 2024
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