Central America
FGR explained the process by which the Salvadoran State has been defrauded by more than $2 million
The Attorney General’s Office (FGR) reported that they had arrested five people for defrauding the Salvadoran state by more than $2 million. According to the investigations, two former Ministers of Defense made it easier for Centrum S.A. de C.V. to acquire weapons, some of which were in good condition, and to hand over old weapons in exchange.
The FGR accused former Ministers of Defense David Munguía Payés and Atilio Benítez; former Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces Rafael Melara Rivera; Coronel Manuel de Jesús Romero; Centrum’s legal representative Gustavo López Davidson; and Centrum’s manager, Héctor Abel Herrera Mejía. Of the six, five were arrested last Friday afternoon.
According to the authorities, it all started in 2011. The Ministry of Defense, led by David Munguía Payés, requested a review of obsolete weapons to make an auction-type swap. The FGR states that when the process was announced, six companies attended; but in five of them, Héctor Abel Herrera appeared as the legal representative.
Afterwards, Herrera remained as the representative of Centrum. The rest of the companies appointed new representatives, who were employees of Centrum. In the end, the swap was awarded to Eagle Ordnance LLC and Centrum. Herrera subsequently notified the Ministry of Defense that Eagle would not continue in the process and that Centrum would take over the swap.
According to the FGR, General Rafael Melara, Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces, warned that a new process should be called, but the warning was omitted.
Central America
Panamanian farms take action to reduce jaguar attacks and promote coexistence
A growing number of farms in Panama are taking steps to reduce jaguar attacks on livestock, showing that coexistence between humans and these American felines is possible, a UN agency said on Friday.
The jaguar (Panthera onca) holds a prominent place in Mayan and Aztec mythology, but many farmers kill them after livestock attacks.
Ninety-six percent of jaguar deaths in Panama from 1989 to 2019 occurred following attacks on livestock, according to the NGO Fundación Yaguará. Additionally, the prized jaguar hide made them targets for poachers, causing the population to decline by 20 to 25% since 2000, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
“Conserving the jaguar is not just about protecting an iconic species; it also involves safeguarding and restoring critical ecosystems, and improving water management and biodiversity,” Juan Bello, Director for Latin America and the Caribbean at the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), told AFP.
Fundación Yaguará, the Global Environment Facility (GEF), and UNEP are running a program to “reduce conflicts between communities and wildlife” in Panama.
Through this innovative project, many farms have adopted measures to reduce livestock attacks and avoid retaliatory killings of jaguars, demonstrating that coexistence is indeed possible.
Central America
Police confirm multiple victims and fire after church shooting in Grand Blanc, Michigan
A new mass shooting shook the United States this Sunday, this time at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saintslocated on McCandlish Rd. in Grand Blanc, Michigan.
The Grand Blanc Township Police Department confirmed that there were multiple victims, though their identities and the extent of their injuries have not yet been disclosed. Authorities have not specified whether there are fatalities.
According to the official report, the attacker “is down” and the threat has been neutralized.
“There are multiple victims, and the shooter is down. There is NO threat to the public at this time. The church is actively on fire,” the department said in a statement.
In addition to the shooting, a fire is consuming the temple, prompting police to urge residents to avoid the area as emergency operations continue.
Central America
Bukele and Trump highlight joint fight against gangs and terrorism
U.S. President Donald Trump thanked the Government of El Salvador for its collaboration in imprisoning criminals who had entered U.S. territory irregularly. The Republican leader acknowledged the work of his ally during his address at the 80th United Nations General Assembly taking place this week in New York.
“I want to thank El Salvador for the successful and professional work it has done in receiving and imprisoning so many criminals who entered our country. Under the previous administration [of Joe Biden], the numbers reached record levels, and now we are expelling them all,” Trump stated.
For his part, Salvadoran President Nayib Bukele expressed his gratitude to the U.S. leader for his remarks and for officially designating the 18th Street gang as a terrorist group.
“In El Salvador, we had already taken that step by formally labeling them terrorists, and although some organizations have criticized us, the majority of their members are currently imprisoned at Cecot, the Terrorism Confinement Center, designed specifically to confront these threats,” Bukele said.
He added that both countries share a common vision in the fight against terrorism. “We are convinced that cooperation between our nations is key to eradicating these criminal structures and ensuring a future of peace and security for our people,” Bukele emphasized.
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