Central American News
A ‘Mega-ridiculous’ corruption case in Central America
Hi readers,
Welcome back to another week of Central American News.
In Brief
Guatemala has officially initiated its general election process amidst concerns about the close relationship between President Alejando Giammattei and the Electoral Tribunal, and the growing influence of drug trafficking actors in politics. In Panama, the sons of former President Martinelli, who had pleaded guilty to transferring millions of dollars in bribes from the construction company Odebrecht, will be returning to the country to receive bail. Belize assumed the presidency of the Central American Integration System (SICA) for six months.
Despite the challenges El Salvador faced with incorporating bitcoin into their national currency, the country paid back its external bond investors on time. In Nicaragua, Commissioner and former head of intelligence for the National Police, Adolfo Marenco, became the first high-ranking officer to be arrested by the Ortega-Murillo regime concerning allegations of corruption and of engaging in unauthorized private business.
Today, Honduras will elect fifteen new magistrates for the Supreme Court of Justice ; it is expected that international organizations will observe the process. The Ministry of Finance of Costa Rica faces criticism after addressing a “Mega Case” of tax evasion involving a private bank, which was dubbed as “mega-ridiculous.” Comunidad Maya Pixan Ixim is the first Maya and Indigenous-led Immigration Legal Service in the U.S.
The Central American News Team
Orlando Estrada/AFP/Getty Images
Seeking volunteer
Want to join a growing team of Central Americans passionate about Central America? We are now seeking an Instagram officer (2h per week). Please send over your CV and a few paragraphs of why you want to join the project to centralamericannews@gmail.com by Friday 27 of January.
Headlines
Migration
📰Asylum Transit Ban: Central American migrants face challenges to access life-saving protection with the Biden asylum transit ban as new legal pathways are only available to Venezuelans, Nicaraguan, Cubans, and Haitians. Yet, it does not guarantee permanent refugee status.
Central America
📰Presidency Pro-Tempore: Belize is the president of the Central American Integration System (SICA) and was handed over the presidency of the Central American Tourism Integration Secretariat (SITCA). The country also heads the Educational and Cultural Council of Central America (CECC).
Guatemala
📰Diplomatic crisis: A week has passed since the government and the Public Ministry of Guatemala announced a twist in the Odebrecht case and issued arrest warrants against the prosecutors who investigated it, including Iván Velásquez, former head of CICIG and current Colombian Defense minister. It provoked reactions from the European Union, the United States, the United Nations, and human rights organizations.
📰Press freedom: The persecution intensifies against journalist José Ruben Zamora, former president of elPeriódico, captured more than six months ago for alleged money-laundering. The Public Ministry requested the arrest of two of his former defense lawyers, while his current lawyer is being investigated.
📰Official elections: General elections campaign season has officially begun. The Supreme Electoral Tribunal, on the first day, registered the presidential binomials of ten political parties. It started amid questions about the independence of the state institutions monitoring the process.
Panama
📰General Elections: With the 2024 general elections on the horizon, Panamanian politicians secure alliances and enemies and within the ruling PRD party. There is a struggle between factions over who will represent them. Meanwhile the Ombudsman's Office formalized the creation of the Committee for the Electoral Observation Process in anticipation of the 2024 General Elections.
📰Martinelli Brothers: The Martinelli brothers are scheduled to arrive in Panama this week, where the Judicial Branch granted a $7 million bail for each of them in the Blue Apple and Odebrecht cases. In May 2022, the Martinelli brothers pleaded guilty to using the U.S. financial system to transfer approximately $28 million in bribes from the construction company Odebrecht. In front of the judge, the brothers acknowledged that they acted under orders from their father, the former president of Panama, Ricardo Martinelli (2009-2014).
Belize
📰ACOMPAÑARTE project: The Secretariat for Central American Social Integration (SISCA) and the Government of Canada provided 150 biosafety and basic care kits to benefit migrant and returnee children and adolescents.
📰American Express: Belize Bank Limited and American Express signed agreements to process transactions in Belize. The partnership now allows for international tourists to use their AmEx cards to make purchases.
📰Police accountability: The Justice for Laddie Foundation organized the Youth for Change Symposium to advocate for Laddie’s Law for the accountability of police officers. Laddie Gillet, a fourteen-year-old, was shot dead by former Police Corporal Kareem Martinez in 2021.
El Salvador
📰Bitcoin: El Salvador met payment for the 2023 bond that amounted to 800 million dollars. The country completed transfers of the funds and paid investors holding the Eurobond with a maturity date of January 24, 2023.
📰Earthquake: Over 100 homes were affected by last week’s earthquake in El Salvador. According to authorities, 219 earthquakes were reported from Sunday afternoon until Monday morning.
📰US Relations: Last December, the U.S. Senate confirmed William H. Duncan as the next Ambassador to El Salvador. He previously served in the U.S. Department of State as the Senior Inspector in the Office of the Inspector General. Duncan is expected to start this year.
Nicaragua
📰Corruption: Commissioner Adolfo Marenco, former head of intelligence for the National Police of Nicaragua, was arrested on January 13. Marenco is the first high-ranking and formerly trusted member of the police department arrested by the Ortega-Murillo regime. He faces allegations of corruption and of engaging in unauthorized private business transactions.
📰Indigenous people: Miskitu and Mayangna leaders spoke out about the invasions of settlers and incidents perpetrated by the government during the municipal elections of November 2022. They call on the President to comply "with his commitments”.
📰Priest convicted: Ortega’s justice system found Oscar Benavides, priest of the “Espíritu Santo” parish, in Mulukukú, in the Northern Caribbean Coast, guilty of the crime of "conspiracy to undermine national integrity and dissemination of fake news". Benavides is the first of more than ten priests detained for political reasons to be convicted.
Honduras
📰Migration: Honduras registered an increase of over 900% of irregular migration entering the country in 2022. Honduras saw entry for over 188,858 migrants in contrast to the 17,590 that entered in 2021. According to the National Institute of Migration (INM), 70% of irregular migrants are between the ages of 21 and 40, with Cubans being the largest group.
📰Environment: Representatives of the National Committee of Forest Protection (CONAPROFOR) launched the national plan against forest fires for 2023. The plan will prioritize 2.8 million hectares of forests believed to be most at risk. A budget of $244,866,000 Lempiras will be used to develop strategies of prevention, campaigns of awareness, and to advocate for environmental education in schools.
📰Politics: The election for the Supreme Court of Justice of Honduras (CSJ) for 2023-2030 will take place on 25 January. It will be observed by international organizations. The 15 new magistrates to be elected need to receive at least 86 out of 128 votes.
Costa Rica
📰Justice for Jehry: The trial of Luis Eduardo Varela Rojas for the alleged murder of Indigenous land defender Jehry Rivera was held on 23 January at Pérez Zeledón Court. Rojas publicly admitted to killing Rivera, in the Indigenous territory of Térraba during a land reclamation process in February 2020.
📰Public Health: An epidemiologist at the National University said that the Costa Rican government is adverse to vaccines and safe COVID-19 guidelines. He called Chaves’ administration “anti-public health” and said it’s not possible to guarantee high-quality scientific guidance under current Health Minister Joselyn Chacón.
📰Tax Evasion Case: The Ministry of Finance held a press conference in relation to a “Mega-Case” of tax evasion involving a private bank and at least two individuals. Minister Nogul Acosta said he sent several large cases to the prosecutor's office but omitted that the office requested for the dismissal of the cases. A deputy criticized the announcement as “mega-ridiculous.”
Central American Art
Marlyn Vansen is one of Belize’s well-known artists who came into the spotlight in 2017. She started off her career by participating in local competitions and performing on local TV shows. It was at the 2019 International Costa Maya Festival that she got her big break. However, in 2021 she was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (a neurological disease) putting her career to a halt and drastically changing her life. Today, Vansen has discovered new passions by creating new beats, painting, and even making her own ice-cream.
Good News
✨2023 PEN America Literary Awards: Congratulations to Salvadoran authors Javier Zamora and Alejandro Varela for being honored in this year’s PEN American Literary Awards (PEN America)
✨Immigration: Congratulations to Comunidad Maya Pixan Ixim for becoming the first ever Maya and Indigenous-led Immigration Legal Service in the U.S. (Pixan Ixim)
Central American Voices
✍️ These Latina Food Creators Are Helping Us Preserve Latin American Cuisine: In this article by Honduran writer Janel Martinez, Martinez highlights four Latin chefs, including Norma Torres, owner of The Salvi Vegan in California. (Refinery29)
Events
📅10th International Garifuna Conference: Join the Garifuna Heritage Foundation for their 10th International Garifuna Conference from March 9 through 11.
📅 A Little Piece of Nicaragua: Through Feb. 3, an art exhibition by Nicaraguan-Mexican artist Erika Tenorio will be held at Groundworks in Tucson, Arizona. The exhibit aims to showcase Nicaragua in relief print.
“The discrimination, exclusion and structural racism towards Afro-descendant people and communities signifies enormous gaps of social inequality. This translates into limited rights, lack of access to basic goods and services, and less favourable conditions for profiting from development and living a vida digna (dignified life).”
- Glenda Joanna Wetherborn, UN Volunteer Human Rights and Gender Expert with OHCHR, Guatemala
History
Frank Tzib is a resident of San Antonio Village in the Cayo District and belongs to one of the three Mayan cultures of Belize, the Yucatec Maya. Tzib’s goal is to preserve his native language and inscription through the ancient Mayan writings of hieroglyphics. His recent work is what he calls “the modernization of hieroglyphics” which is the translation of a phrase to contemporary Maya then transcribed to hieroglyphs.
The Team
Editorial team: Mindrid Tesucum and Vanessa Lobo-Gradiz
Coordinating team: Karla Saenz Porras, Kayla Alamilla, Shahrazad Encinias
Social media: Abigail Galvez-Aguirre
News curators: Candice Gillett (Belize), Pablo Arauz (Costa Rica), Jody García (Guatemala), Kirsten Cintigo (El Salvador), Luna Cordóba (Nicaragua), Rodrigo Medina and Joan Collins (Panama), Allison Aguilar (Honduras)
Film curator: Robert Zuniga