El Salvador prosecutor says he will investigate allegations of government pacts with gangs
SAN SALVADOR, (Reuters)
- El Salvador’s attorney general yesterday said he plans to investigate allegations that the government of President Nayib
Bukele is negotiating with members of a notorious gang to reduce homicides.
When the number of homicides in the poor Central
American country started to drop, Brussels- based
International Crisis Group suggested it might be down to “quiet, informal understandings between the gangs and the government”.
“Of course we are going to investigate,” prosecutor Raul Melara said on television after newspaper El Faro published prison documents purportedly showing government dealings with a gang. “No one should take advantage of the institutions to negotiate with terrorists.”
The presidency did not respond to a request for comment but Bukele on Twitter called El Faro’s article a “sham”.
Director of prisons Osiris Luna called the allegations false and termed them “political maneuvering.” El Faro, citing the documents, reported Luna was involved in the negotiations.
Official prison documents that were not previously made public detail how Bukele’s government has been negotiating with the leaders of the powerful Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) gang, the paper said.
The gang would reduce violence in exchange for better prison conditions, El Faro said. The two sides have also discussed MS-13 support for the government in legislative elections next year, the paper said.