The US puts two former Central American presidents, Bukele ministers and judges on the list of corrupt officials

Nayib Bukele speaks on September 30, 2020 in front of his then Minister of Justice and Public Security Rogelio Rivas.JOSE CABEZAS / Reuters

The United States Department of State published this Thursday the so-called 'Engel List', a list of 55 officials from the so-called 'Northern Triangle' of Central America, whom Washington singles out for acts of corruption, obstruction of justice or for weakening democracy and those that can be sanctioned with visa restrictions or freezing of accounts in the United States, among other measures.

The list includes 14 Salvadoran officials, among them seven close collaborators of President Nayib Bukele, such as his Minister of Labor, Rolando Castro, his Chief of Staff, Carolina Recinos, or his former Minister of Justice and Public Security, Rogelio Rivas. In addition, there are 20 Guatemalans, including former President Álvaro Colom (2008-2012) accused of corruption due to anomalies in a public transport contract; there is also the magistrate of the Constitutional Court, Nyester Vásquez, and the former presidential candidates Mario Estrada and Alejandro Sinibaldi. The country with the most indicated is Honduras. The list includes 21 people of that nationality, including former President Porfirio Lobo (2010-2014), accused of receiving bribes from the drug trafficking group Los Cachiros,and former first lady Rosa Elena Bonilla and more than a dozen deputies.

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The Joe Biden Administration has linked its plan to curb irregular migration from Central America to the fight against corruption.

"Actions that undermine the rule of law and democracy in Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador and their repercussions on the lives of the people of these countries contribute to irregular migration and the destabilization of entire societies," said the Secretary of State. Antony Blinken in the statement in which he made the list public.

Congress already has the list that was drawn up in compliance with a law passed last December.

The allegations they make to the people on the list range from acts of corruption and fraud to trying to use their influence for appointments to high courts or the weakening of democracy for their own political gain. In the case of one of the sanctioned Salvadorans, he is accused of "facilitating malicious Chinese influence in the elections." According to the State Department text, some of them, in addition to having been included in the list, have been directed to the Magnitsky sanctions program "for being involved in significant acts of corruption."