A. M. 
Former San Salvador mayor Ernesto Muyshondt was sentenced to 18 years in prison for his involvement in negotiations with gangs in exchange for electoral support during the 2014 presidential elections and the 2015 legislative and municipal elections. The First Sentencing Court of San Salvador sentenced him to 12 years for offering economic benefits to gang members in exchange for votes and an additional six years for his involvement in illicit organizations.
The Fiscalía General de la República had previously requested a 24-year prison sentence for Muyshondt, accusing him of electoral fraud and illicit organizations. The sentence also affects other individuals implicated in the case, including Benito Lara, former Minister of Justice, and Public Security; Arístides Valencia, former Minister of the Interior; journalist Paolo Lüers; and civilian Wilson Alvarado Alemán, who received 18-year prison sentences for similar crimes.
This ruling is part of a series of legal actions against former officials accused of negotiating with gangs to obtain electoral support. In 2024, Norman Quijano, also a former mayor of San Salvador, was sentenced to 13 years and 4 months in prison for related crimes.
Muyshondt’s sentence has sparked a reaction in salvadoran society, with divided opinions on the fairness of the trial and the need to strengthen the country’s democratic institutions.
