Mauricio Funes, Former President of El Salvador, Dies

What was Mauricio Funes’ legacy?
Why did he live in Nicaragua?
How did he avoid facing justice?

Mauricio Funes Cartagena, the former President of El Salvador, died on Tuesday, January 21, in Managua, Nicaragua, at the age of 65.

Funes had been under the protection of Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo’s regime since 2016 when he fled his country after facing multiple corruption charges.

However, his administration was marked by multiple scandals that led the Salvadoran judiciary to consider him a fugitive.

He was convicted in three trials, including one for negotiating with gangs, and sentenced to return more than $400,000 for illicit enrichment.

Former President of El Salvador Mauricio Funes Dies

Mauricio Funes was the hope for El Salvador in 2009. The first president to come under the banner of the FMLN, a left-wing party.

Despite mistakes and missteps, Funes managed to change many things. During his government, social programs were implemented. pic.twitter.com/ooqnnq2oqa

– Unidos por ES503 (@Salva_mexi) January 22, 2025

Hours before his death, the Nicaraguan Ministry of Health reported that his condition was «extremely serious,» but did not specify the causes or the hospital where he was admitted.

At ten o’clock at night, the regime issued a statement confirming his death.

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«The Ministry of Health of the Government of Reconciliation and National Unity of the Republic of Nicaragua hereby informs».

«Unfortunately, the patient Mr. Carlos Mauricio Funes Cartagena, former President of El Salvador, residing in our country, has died tonight at 21:35 hours (03:45 GMT Wednesday). As a result of his severe chronic illness,» stated the Nicaraguan government in a release.

During his term (2009-2014), he served as the first left-wing president of El Salvador under the Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front (FMLN).

In 2019, Nicaragua granted nationality to Funes, a move that prevented his extradition requested by El Salvador, according to EFE.

This act has drawn criticism toward the Ortega-Murillo regime, accused of turning Nicaragua into a «nest of the corrupt» by offering asylum and nationality to controversial figures like former Salvadoran President Salvador Sánchez Cerén and other international figures.

With the death of Funes, a chapter closes that reflects the complex relationship between politics and justice in Central America, as well as the use of nationalization as a strategy to evade accountability.