El Salvador breaks up corruption ring of judges, lawyers
El Salvador breaks up corruption ring of judges, lawyers
Nov 26, 7:13 PM EST
SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador (AP) -- Prosecutors have broken up a ring of a dozen lawyers, judges and a prosecutor who fixed court rulings in exchange for bribes, El Salvador's government said Thursday. National police arrested seven of the suspects and five others were at large.
The ring had allegedly operated since 2011. In one case, former anti-money laundering prosecutor Luis Arturo Magana is alleged to have negotiated the return of money confiscated from foreigners at a border crossing.
The announcement was not the first time corruption has been found in El Salvador's court system.
In 2014, police arrested a Spanish priest, 12 police officers, two judges, three court employees and two prosecution officials who allegedly collaborated with members of the "Mara" street gangs. Some of them were accused of helping expedite or fix judicial rulings for gang members.
More:
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/L/LT_SALVADOR_JUDICIAL_CORRUPTION?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2015-11-26-19-13-06
