Central America
Public Prosecutor’s Office requests that former Salvadoran official and his family return $498,374 to the State
August 22|
The Specialized Unit for Corruption Crimes of the Attorney General’s Office (FGR) requested the Third Civil Chamber to condemn the former Minister of National Defense, David Munguía Payés and his family for having enriched themselves in an illicit manner and to return $498,374.31 to the State.
The prosecution also requested the Chamber to disqualify the former official from holding any public office for 10 years.
The civil proceeding began on December 21, 2021, and the former public official, his wife, Sandra Dinora Molina de Munguía and his daughters, Sandra Beatriz and Blanca Patricia, both Munguía Molina, were sued.
The ruling against the defendants will be announced next Thursday, July 24.
The lawsuit is based on a report of 14 irregularities pointed out by the Probity Section of the Supreme Court of Justice, which could not be removed administratively. Of these, 11 are attributed to the former Minister of Defense, and three are attributed to his wife and daughters. The anomalies occurred when Munguía Payés served as Minister of Defense, between June 1, 2009 and November 22, 2011.
The Public Prosecutor’s Office demands that justice be done and that the retired military officer must return $491,297.77 to the State, while his wife $3,614.07, one of his daughters $2,362.50, and the other a total of $1,100.
In her closing arguments, one of the prosecutors in the case stated that according to the expert report it was not possible to identify the origin of the funds with respect to an income generating source, and she did not find an origin in the deposits claimed to Munguía Payés.
Among the irregularities are deposits to bank accounts, purchase of real estate, credit card payments.
“Not having the defendant proved the origin of a lawful source of each one of the irregularities claimed to him, due to the evidence limited by the tax representation in which it was established that the legitimate income has not been sufficient. We request to declare the existence of enrichment without just cause or lawful on the part of Mr. David Victoriano Munguía Payés”, said one of the prosecutors.
Munguia Payes was minister of security under Mauricio Funes, and both negotiated a truce with the gangs, and then the retired general was minister of defense towards the end of Funes’ term and then under Sanchez Ceren.
Central America
First woman elected president in the Americas, Violeta Chamorro, dead at 95
Violeta Barrios de Chamorro, former president of Nicaragua and the first woman in the Americas to be democratically elected head of state, passed away this Saturday in Costa Rica at the age of 95. A pivotal figure in Nicaragua’s transition to democracy, Chamorro achieved a historic victory over Sandinista leader Daniel Ortega in the 1990 elections, heading a broad opposition coalition.
The Chamorro Barrios family confirmed her death in a statement:
“Our mother, Violeta Barrios de Chamorro, former president of Nicaragua, passed away today, June 14, 2025, at 2:21 a.m. (08:21 GMT) in San José, Costa Rica, at the age of 95, after a long illness.”
“Doña Violeta died peacefully, surrounded by the love and affection of her children and the extraordinary care of those who looked after her. She is now in the peace of the Lord,” her children Pedro Joaquín, Claudia Lucía, Cristiana, and Carlos Fernando Chamorro Barrios wrote.
Chamorro’s victory in 1990 marked a significant turning point in Central American politics, ending more than a decade of Sandinista rule and initiating a fragile but hopeful democratic chapter in Nicaragua’s history.
Central America
Nicaraguan exile coalition urges Costa Rica to receive U.S. deportees fleeing Ortega regime
The Coalition of Nicaraguans in Exile urged Costa Rican President Rodrigo Chaves on Sunday to receive opponents and critics of the Ortega-Murillo regime currently residing in the United States who may be deported by the administration of Donald Trump.
“We appeal to you, Mr. President, to kindly consider, as an act of humanity and in accordance with the principles of international refugee law, the reopening of entry and temporary reception pathways for Nicaraguan citizens deported from the United States,” the coalition stated in a letter addressed to Chaves.
They specifically requested the reopening of entry for those Nicaraguans who had previously sought asylum or refugee status in Costa Rica and who express a well-founded fear for their lives and personal safety if returned to Nicaragua.
The organization, which identifies itself as committed to defending and promoting the human rights of Nicaraguans “forced into exile by the repression of the Sandinista dictatorship,” expressed its appeal with “urgency and deep concern.”
In the letter, the coalition emphasized the dramatic situation faced by thousands of Nicaraguans who fled political persecution under Daniel Ortega’s regime and are now at risk of deportation from the United States.
Central America
Panama begins reverse migration by sea for 109 stranded migrants
Panamanian authorities have transported a group of 109 migrants of various nationalities by sea to La Miel, a Caribbean town on the country’s border with Colombia, to continue their return journey to South America. The move comes after the migrants failed to settle in the United States, following stricter immigration policies implemented under the administration of former President Donald Trump.
The National Migration Service (SNM) of Panama announced in a statement on Tuesday that the transfer was carried out from the Caribbean port of Colón using a vessel from Panama’s National Aeronaval Service (Senan). The operation was part of the country’s so-called “reverse flow” initiative, aimed at facilitating the safe return of migrants.
The official report noted that the group included migrants from nine different nationalities, with 75 adults and 34 minors on board. Authorities emphasized the “inter-institutional commitment to safe and humanitarian reverse migration.”
A source familiar with the process, speaking anonymously to EFE, confirmed that the vessel departed on Monday. Many of the migrants had opted into the reverse flow program after arriving at the Temporary Attention Center for Migrants (CATEM) in Costa Rica, where coordination was made with Panamanian authorities for their return.
First woman elected president in the Americas, Violeta Chamorro, dead at 95
Nicaraguan exile coalition urges Costa Rica to receive U.S. deportees fleeing Ortega regime
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