According to Reuters, Antonio Saca pleaded guilty to the chargers earlier this year hoping to reduce his prison term. Antonio Saca, 53, and other six former El Salvador high-level public officials were accused of diverting funds from the treasury to personal bank accounts to benefit individuals, companies connected to the former president and advertising for his Nationalist Republican Alliance (ARENA) party.
In 2016, another former leader of El Salvador Mauricio Funes was also ordered to stand trial for more than $700,000 that he was not able to account for following his 2009-2014 term. Mauricio Funes is currently under political asylum in Nicaragua.
According to Reuters, El Salvador, which has refused to set up an international impunity commission as Guatemala did, has begun a crusade against corruption, but only in past administrations.
