Former President of El Salvador Arrested on Suspicion of Corruption

SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador (dpa/TNS) —
Elias Antonio Saca, then-President of El Salvador, addressing a session of the United Nations General Assembly in 2007. (AP Photo/Ed Betz)
Elias Antonio Saca, then-President of El Salvador, addressing a session of the United Nations General Assembly in 2007. (AP Photo/Ed Betz)

The former president of El Salvador has been arrested on corruption charges, his lawyer confirmed Sunday.

Elias Antonio Saca and two former employees were taken into custody, said the lawyer, Silvia Bonilla.

Saca, who was president of the Central American country from 2004 to 2009, is accused of money laundering and establishing a criminal association, among other charges, police said.

The chairman of the ethics commission of the Supreme Court of Justice made serious accusations against Saca in an interview broadcast last week. Sidney Blanco said Saca, 59, was responsible for the misappropriation of state money during his time in office.

Saca is a member of the conservative Nationalist Republican Alliance party, the opposition party which is known by its Spanish-language acronym ARENA.

Six other people, including Saca associates Cesar Funes and Julio Rank, were also arrested in the case, police said.

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