The United States sanctions the Bukele government in El Salvador for negotiating with gangs

Two senior officials of the Government of El Salvador, chaired by Nayib Bukele, were sanctioned by the Treasury Department for negotiating secret agreements with Salvadoran gangs, as announced on Wednesday by the US agency.

The United States government accused Osiris Luna, director of Penal Centers, and Carlos Marroquín, of Reconstruction of the Social Fabric, of having "directed, facilitated and organized" a series of meetings with imprisoned gang leaders.

At those meetings, officials allegedly

to reduce murders in the country and gain electoral support.

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In 2020, the Bukele government "gave financial incentives to the Salvadoran gangs MS-13 and Barrio 18 to ensure that incidents of gang violence and the number of confirmed homicides remained low," the Treasury Department statement read.

"Throughout these negotiations with Luna and Marroquín, the gang leadership also agreed to give political support to the New Ideas party in the next elections," he adds.

New Ideas, Bukele's party, won the legislative elections a few months ago by a large majority and obtained control of Congress.

The Treasury Department also accused the Bukele government of having made it easy for gang leaders to

.

Bukele responded sarcastically on his Twitter account to the allegations: “Cell phones and prostitutes in prisons?

Money to gangs?

When I pass that?

Didn't you check the date?

How can they put such an obvious lie without anyone questioning it? "

The local newspaper El Faro was the first to report the secret negotiations that these two federal officials and gang leaders held in 2020 in the maximum security prisons of Zacatecoluca and Izalco Phase III.

According to the investigation of this medium, Luna was the one who authorized the entry of hooded and masked people to the prisons. 

, led by Marroquín, who entered without registering or identifying themselves.

One of the closed-door meetings was allegedly attended by gang members Víctor García Cerón, 'Duke';

Jeffrey Isaac Pérez López, 'Xóchil', and Rubén Arnoldo Toledo Cea, 'El Humilde', three of the main leaders of Barrio 18 Revolucionario.

In the photos of the security cameras, it is observed that Luna himself guided the visitors through the facilities.

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Osiris Luna (center) entered the Zacatelocua prison with hooded people Molina, Oscar / El Faro

The Treasury Department also accuses Luna of "embezzling" millions of dollars from El Salvador's prison system and creating "fraudulent" jobs whose wages were returned to him.

As a result of the sanctions, the accounts and assets of these two individuals under US jurisdiction have been frozen and they have been prohibited from conducting financial transactions with US citizens. 

With information from