Law Would Require Public Employees to Declare Their Assets, Including Details on Spouse and Children — El Salvador: la macrocárcel de Bukele cumple dos años, entre denuncias e imitaciones en el exterior

Feb 1, 2025

This week, the Salvadoran government gave a tour to Argentina's Minister of Security of their modern model prison, a flagship of the so-called "Bukele miracle." However, international organizations are increasingly denouncing abuses committed under the state of exception in other penitentiaries.
Bukele’s proposed anti-corruption law calls for the dismissal of anyone who fails to submit the required information. — Este 31 de enero se cumplen dos años de la inauguración del Centro de Confinamiento del Terrorismo, la macroprisión punta de lanza de la guerra del presidente salvadoreño Nayib Bukele contra las pandillas. Un modelo que inspira a otros países, a pesar de las denuncias de violaciones a derechos humanos.

The Ley sobre el Enriquecimiento Ilícito de Funcionarios y Empleados Públicos (Law on the Illicit Enrichment of Public Officials and Employees) establishes that within 60 days after taking office, obligated public officials and employees “must submit a sworn statement in writing on the status of their assets.” They must also file this statement within 60 days after leaving office. These documents are to be submitted to the Sección de Probidad of the Corte Suprema de Justicia (CSJ) (Supreme Court of Justice).

Now, the proposed Ley Anticorrupción (Anti-Corruption Law) also obligates public-sector employees to submit such declarations, stipulating that the information must include data pertaining to the official’s spouse and children. This information will also include the annual income tax return.

“All public officials and employees are required to submit, along with their annual income tax return, a sworn statement called the Informe de Activos y Pasivos (Assets and Liabilities Report), which must include detailed information about both themselves and their spouse, whether by marriage or non-marital union, as well as their children. The report must list balances of fixed and current assets, liabilities, and any acquisitions or transfers of movable or immovable property carried out during the period of the annual tax return,” the proposal states.

The draft law also stipulates that publication of the sworn Assets and Liabilities Report be kept permanently up to date on the relevant electronic portal, and that the Ministerio de Hacienda (Ministry of Finance) must remove it once a person subject to this obligation ceases to hold a position.

“Any public official or employee who is legally required to submit the sworn Assets and Liabilities Report and, without just cause, fails to comply with the obligation contained in this article, submits it with manifest falsehood, or does not provide express consent for its publication must be dismissed from their position without further proceedings,” proposes the Presidencia de la República (Office of the President).

As for President Nayib Bukele—who sent the legislative proposal to the Asamblea Legislativa (Legislative Assembly)—it is unknown if he has submitted his statements to the CSJ’s Probity Section, since the information was fully classified.

The proposed anti-corruption law from the Office of the President designates, among other entities, representatives of the Executive Branch itself to exercise oversight in cases of corruption.

It calls for creating the Sistema Nacional Integrado Anticorrupción (SINAC) (National Integrated Anti-Corruption System), composed of the Ministerio de Justicia (Ministry of Justice), the Ministerio de Hacienda (Ministry of Finance), the Ministerio de Obras Públicas (Ministry of Public Works), the Policía Nacional Civil (PNC) (National Civil Police), the Superintendencia del Sistema Financiero (Superintendency of the Financial System), the Comisión Nacional de Activos Digitales (National Digital Assets Commission), the Centro Nacional de Registros (National Registry Center), the Registro Nacional de las Personas Naturales (National Registry of Natural Persons), and the Dirección Nacional de Compras Públicas (National Directorate of Public Procurement)—all under the Executive Branch.

Alongside them, the oversight bodies would be the Fiscalía General de la República (FGR) (Attorney General’s Office), the Corte de Cuentas de la República (CCR) (Court of Accounts of the Republic), and the Órgano Judicial (Judicial Branch).

By establishing SINAC, these institutions will carry out oversight, regulation, and verification in regard to the assets of public officials, public employees, law enforcement personnel, and citizens in general. The FGR will serve as the system’s governing body.

“SINAC is meant to set guidelines to coordinate all member institutions by creating interinstitutional cooperation mechanisms and focusing efforts—in accordance with each institution’s responsibilities—on decision-making that prevents and combats behaviors constituting corruption-related crimes, while detecting, seizing, and confiscating assets derived from such offenses,” states Article 7 of the proposal.

Moreover, the proposal stipulates that, to achieve its objectives, SINAC will invest in technology, training, and protocols for constant monitoring. The Ministry of Finance must allocate funds for SINAC’s operation.

The proposed law also paves the way for creating the Centro Nacional Anticorrupción (CNA) (National Anti-Corruption Center).

This center would be attached to the FGR and would be responsible for carrying out all intelligence actions related to preventing, investigating, and prosecuting corruption crimes, under the FGR’s coordination and leadership.

The CNA would receive a special budget, added to that of the FGR, provided by the Ministry of Finance.

Obligations for the Court  

The proposal reiterates the CCR’s authority to investigate potential corruption crimes, but also mandates that the Court of Accounts give the CNA any requested information and documentation.

“Without prejudice to the obligation established in the preceding paragraph, when an audit report containing findings or observations is issued, the Corte de Cuentas shall, via electronic communication and within eight working days from the end of the audit or special examination, forward a copy of the report and its attached documents to the FGR,” states the proposal.

In order to fulfill its responsibilities—particularly investigation—the law requires the CCR to bolster its technical and human capacities, including training in forensic auditing, access to advanced technologies, and any additional necessary resources.

The FGR and the CCR must also establish monitoring mechanisms to verify the actions taken based on the reports submitted by the Court of Accounts, with the aim of ensuring compliance with the procedures set out in this proposed law.

Together with SINAC’s governing body, the CCR will issue any necessary regulations and technical provisions for its development and effective enforcement, subject to approval by the Office of the President.

Under Nayib Bukele’s administration, several individuals have been included on the United States’ Engel List for being undemocratic or corrupt actors. Among these are Chief of Staff Carolina Bernal, Minister of Labor Rolando Castro, Osiris Luna (Director of Penitentiaries and Deputy Minister of Justice), and Pablo Anliker, former Minister of Agriculture linked to significant corruption by misappropriating public funds for personal gain, among others.

RFI: https://www.rfi.fr/es/am%C3%A9ricas/20250131-el-salvador-la-macroc%C3%A1rcel-de-bukele-cumple-dos-a%C3%B1os-entre-denuncias-e-imitaciones-en-el-exterior

El Salvador: la macrocárcel de Bukele cumple dos años, entre denuncias e imitaciones en el exterior2

El presidente de El Salvador, Nayib Bukele, inauguró el 31 de enero de 2023 lo que se convirtió en la cárcel “más grande de América Latina”, el Centro de Confinamiento del Terrorismo (CECOT). A dos años de su inauguración, el CECOT es el epicentro de la guerra del Gobierno salvadoreño contra las pandillas y el crimen organizado.

“El régimen de excepción ya no se justifica”

Bukele impuso en 2022 un régimen de excepción bajo la justificación de enfrentar la violencia en el país, una medida que se mantiene vigente a pesar de suscitar controversia tanto a nivel nacional como internacional.

“El régimen de excepción, a estas alturas, ya no se justifica. De acuerdo a la Constitución de la República, el Gobierno tiene la facultad de implementar un régimen de excepción, pero por un máximo de dos meses. Luego hay que valorar si las causas que generaron esa condición ya no existen, y de acuerdo al mismo presidente de la República, hoy El Salvador es el país más seguro del mundo. ¿Por qué, si somos el país más seguro del mundo, seguir manteniendo al pueblo sometido a un régimen de excepción? Todo el país está militarizado”, señala Samuel Ramírez, coordinador del Movimiento de Víctimas del Régimen de Excepción (MOVIR).

De hecho, no faltan las denuncias por detenciones arbitrarias y otras violaciones a los derechos humanos. Nayib Bukele aseguró que de los más de 80.000 detenidos en este régimen de excepción ya se han liberado a 8.000 que fueron encontrados inocentes después de ser arrestados.

“Ese dato nadie lo puede confirmar porque nadie tiene acceso a esa información, ni siquiera los medios de comunicación. Yo creo que sí han liberado a personas, pero no esa cantidad. Pero si él reconoce que ha liberado a 8.000 y son más de 80.000 los capturados, significa que hay un 10% de error. El presidente dijo en un momento, a partir de que hubo denuncias de capturas arbitrarias, que el 1% eran inocentes. Ahora reconoce que es el 10%”, subraya Ramírez.

Inspiración en el extranjero

El “modelo Bukele” ha conseguido inspirar a otros gobiernos que luchan contra el crecimiento del narcotráfico en sus países. En el 2024, los ecuatorianos votaron en un referéndum a favor de un estado de excepción y su presidente, Daniel Noboa, anunció la construcción de dos cárceles de máxima seguridad para aislar a los presos más peligrosos del país. 

También Honduras quiso inspirarse en este modelo Bukele, aunque sin mucho éxito. En 2022, su presidenta, Xiomara Castro, instauró un estado de excepción -que actualmente continúa ante el pico de violencia, devolvió al ejército a las calles y anunció la creación de una cárcel de máxima seguridad en las Islas del Cisne, para aislar por completo a los pandilleros.

En Europa, el aumento del poder del narcotráfico y del consumo de cocaína han hecho que Francia anuncie para este año la creación de una narcoprisión de máxima seguridad, para acoger a los 100 narcotraficantes más peligrosos del país.  

RFI: https://www.rfi.fr/es/am%C3%A9ricas/20250131-el-salvador-la-macroc%C3%A1rcel-de-bukele-cumple-dos-a%C3%B1os-entre-denuncias-e-imitaciones-en-el-exterior