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
Panama confirms drug contamination of El Salvador coffee shipment occurred on its territory
A container originating from El Salvador and carrying coffee for export was contaminated with more than 1,152 packages of drugs while in transit through Panama, according to official information confirmed by the Panamanian government this Tuesday.
The case, which had previously generated political controversy in April 2025 after opposition sectors attempted to link the Salvadoran government to drug trafficking, has now been clarified through renewed investigations.
Authorities confirmed that the container departed from the port of Acajutla after being properly inspected, with no illicit substances detected at the time of export.
According to statements previously provided by El Salvador’s Minister of Defense, René Merino Monroy, the shipment traveled first to the port of Balboa in Panama, where it remained stored for several days before being transferred to another vessel bound for Manzanillo in Colón.
It was at that terminal that Panamanian authorities discovered the drugs and identified tampering with the container seals, indicating that the illicit alteration occurred during its transit in Panama rather than in Salvadoran territory.
The findings align with earlier explanations provided by Salvadoran officials and confirm that the contamination of the cargo took place outside of El Salvador’s jurisdiction.
Central America
Uber Eats adds Puntarenas and Turrialba to growing Costa Rica network
Uber Eats announced that it is continuing to expand its presence in Costa Rica with the launch of operations in the cities of Puntarenas and Turrialba, further strengthening the company’s growth in the country.
With this expansion, the delivery platform is now available across all seven Costa Rican provinces and works with more than 6,000 partner businesses. Its offerings include prepared food, supermarkets, pharmacies, pet stores, and other specialty retailers.
As part of the announcement, Uber Eats also introduced Marco Nannipieri as its new Regional General Manager for the Andean Region, Central America, and the Caribbean.
Nannipieri will oversee the company’s operations in Costa Rica along with seven other countries in the region.
“Costa Rica is a key market for Uber Eats in the region, with growing adoption of technology among users and businesses. Over the past five years, more than 1,000 restaurants and merchants have joined the app, and today we are entering a new stage of expansion that will allow us to reach more cities outside the Greater Metropolitan Area, creating new opportunities for entrepreneurs across the country,” Nannipieri said.
Central America
Report questions direction of Nasry Asfura after 100 days in office
The Center for the Study of Democracy warned Tuesday that the government of Nasry Asfura, which marks its first 100 days in office on Wednesday, has failed to show a “significant change in direction” and continues to follow a model characterized by exclusion, inequality, and external dependence.
In its report titled “100 Days of the Nasry Asfura Government: Concerns and Demands,” Cespad stated that the administration has maintained an economic and political model that prioritizes debt payments, the promotion of extractive projects, and the strengthening of the security apparatus over social investment.
The organization argued that the current policies have not addressed structural problems affecting large sectors of the Honduran population and warned that inequality and economic dependence remain key challenges for the country.
Nasry Asfura won the general elections held on November 30, 2025, in a process marked by allegations of fraud and delays in the vote count that lasted nearly a month due to a series of technological failures.
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