Former Salvadoran President Mauricio Funes passed away on Tuesday at the age of 65 in Nicaragua, where he had sought refuge to evade justice in his home country, according to Nicaraguan authorities.
Funes, who served as El Salvador’s first leftist president from 2009 to 2014, succumbed to “a serious chronic illness,” as reported by the Nicaraguan Ministry of Health in a statement.
He fled to Nicaragua in 2016 after being accused of embezzling $351 million during his presidency. Three years later, the socialist government of Daniel Ortega granted him Nicaraguan citizenship, effectively eliminating any possibility of extradition.
In May 2023, Mauricio Funes was sentenced in absentia to 14 years in prison in El Salvador for involvement with an illegal group and for neglecting his duties while negotiating a truce with the “maras,” the gangs that have plagued the nation.
Furthermore, in June 2024, Salvadoran courts sentenced him to eight years in prison for awarding a public contract for the construction of a bridge to a Guatemalan company in exchange for a private jet, according to prosecutors.
At the time of his death, five criminal proceedings were still pending against him in El Salvador.
