US Slaps Financial Sanctions on Central American Officials Accused of Corruption

The United States has imposed financial sanctions on over 40 officials from Central America, including two key figures close to El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele, accused of corruption and human rights abuses. The move comes under the Magnitsky Act, which authorizes the US government to freeze assets, ban travel to the country, and impose other penalties on foreign officials found guilty of wrongdoing.

El Salvador Officials Sanctioned

The list of sanctioned officials includes Rolando Castro, El Salvador’s Labor Minister, who allegedly misappropriated public funds for personal gain and used his position to influence labor unions. Conan Castro, the legal secretary of El Salvador’s presidency, was also sanctioned for obstructing investigations into the misappropriation of public funds intended to combat the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

Guatemalan Officials Sanctioned

In Guatemala, two lawmakers and a former minister were also targeted by the sanctions:

• Allan Rodriguez, the former president of Guatemala’s Congress, was accused of accepting bribes and favors in exchange for backing public contracts and a state of emergency bill.
• Jorge Vargas, a Guatemalan congressman, was accused of leading a network that controlled government-run ports for personal gain.
• Luis Alfonso Chang, Guatemala’s former Minister of Energy and Mines, was sanctioned for allegedly asking for bribes and other favors in exchange for not revoking an oil exploitation license.

Reactions

None of the sanctioned officials immediately responded to requests for comment. However, Rolando Castro tweeted about having his US bank accounts frozen, saying “To the people of the United States, my respect and appreciation. To your government, go ahead, I authorize you to freeze my bank accounts in your country!”