OAS Commission proposes reforms to El Salvador to fight corruption

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The International Commission Against Impunity in El Salvador (CICIES) presented to the Salvadoran government, on Thursday, March 25th, a series of proposals for legal reforms to combat corruption and impunity, according to a statement issued by the Organization of American States (OAS).

The proposals of CICIES, created by an agreement between the government of the Central American country and the OAS, seek to “prevent corruption, guarantee transparency, accountability of officials, as well as new typologies for the prosecution of crimes against the State’s patrimony.”

According to the source, CICIES proposes reforms to the laws on Illicit Enrichment of Public Officials and Employees, against Money Laundering and Assets; reform or repeal of the laws on Civil Protection Fund, Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, Government Ethics, Special Extinction of Ownership, among others.

In addition, it recommends the strengthening of the Comptroller General’s Office (FGR) and other control institutions, “to make efficient and transparent the election processes of second-level officials and the updating of laws that effectively regulate the public function.”

The suggested reforms “derive from an analysis of various proposals made by civil society and intergovernmental entities,” the note states.

The proposals were delivered to the Salvadoran Foreign Minister, Alexandra Hill, and to the legal secretary of the Presidency, Conan Castro, in a meeting with the CICIES commissioner in El Salvador, Ronalth Ochaeta.

Since its creation, in 2019, CICIES has provided around technical assistance to the Salvadoran Prosecutor’s Office in 25 “high impact” processes, requested by the Attorney General, Raúl Melara.

It has also transferred 60 recommendations to the Executive on good practices for institutional strengthening as a result of the special monitoring of the use of public funds destined to the attention of the Covid-19 pandemic, according to the statement.

Source: EFE