SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador — Mauricio Funes, the former president of El Salvador, passed away late Tuesday at the age of 65. This news comes after he spent the last few years of his life living in Nicaragua, where he sought refuge from multiple criminal convictions.
According to a statement from Nicaragua’s Health Ministry, Funes succumbed to a severe chronic illness. He served as El Salvador’s president from 2009 to 2014 and had been living under the protection of Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega, who granted him citizenship, thereby allowing him to evade extradition.
While Funes faced over 26 years of sentences in his home country for corruption and for allegedly making deals with notorious gangs, he never faced imprisonment. Rising from a career in journalism, he transitioned into politics with the Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front (FMLN), a leftist party that emerged from El Salvador’s civil conflict. However, this party has recently faded in political prominence, losing all of its congressional seats in the last election.
Born in San Salvador on October 18, 1959, Funes pursued a teaching career at Catholic institutions before gaining recognition as a war correspondent. He hosted a popular interview program that dealt with contentious issues and interviewed numerous political leaders. He also worked with two television stations and contributed as a correspondent for CNN from 1991 until 2007, earning several accolades for his work.
Funes eventually joined the FMLN as its presidential candidate and won the 2009 elections by defeating Rodrigo Ávila from the conservative National Republican Alliance, commonly known as Arena. His campaign was notable for its fresh approach, distancing itself from the direct involvement in the civil war, as the party sought to reshape its public image. Notably, Cardinal Gregorio Rosa Chávez commended Funes, recognizing him as a determined individual willing to confront the country’s challenges.
However, during his presidency, Funes became embroiled in numerous corruption allegations, leading him to flee to Nicaragua in 2016. He consistently refuted these claims, describing them as politically motivated persecution. Despite this, he faced six trials held in absentia, resulting in convictions each time.
In May 2023, he received a 14-year prison sentence for allegedly negotiating a truce with gangs in exchange for leniency for imprisoned gang leaders. His most recent sentence, delivered in June of last year, imposed an eight-year penalty for accepting an airplane as a bribe linked to a construction contract. Additionally, Funes faced accusations of misappropriating approximately $351 million in government funds.
Several former officials from his administration, along with his ex-wife Vanda Pignato, children, and various associates, were also targeted with corruption charges. Notably, his former security minister, David Munguía Payés, received an 18-year sentence for his involvement in the gang truce negotiations.
Despite the controversies surrounding his presidency, the FMLN retained power after Funes in 2014 with the election of Salvador Sánchez Cerén, who ruled until 2019. Sánchez Cerén was one of the five guerrilla leaders from the civil war.
In the years following Funes’ presidency, tensions arose between him and current President Nayib Bukele, particularly on social media platforms where they exchanged barbs. Bukele has taken steps to prosecute Funes, especially concerning the latter’s dealings with gangs. Although Bukele faced accusations of similar negotiations with gang leaders, he fiercely denied these claims and undertook an aggressive campaign against gang violence in the country.
