Costa Rican authorities arrested the father-in-law of El Salvador’s former president, Juan Carlos Guzmán Berdugo, wanted in his country on corruption charges, the Public Ministry (prosecutor’s office) reported Wednesday.
The detainee is the father of Ada Mitchell Guzmán, the wife of the ex-president of El Salvador Mauricio Funes, who is also wanted in his country for various corruption charges during his government (2009-2014). The couple is in Nicaragua where they were granted asylum in 2016. They have denied wrongdoing.
El Salvador ‘s National Civil Police deputy director César Flores Murillo said Wednesday that Juan Carlos Guzmán Berdugo is facing a process of extradition that has a 30-day window.
Prosecutors have said Guzmán is wanted for prosecution on money laundering related to a corruption network allegedly led by Funes in which US$351 million was purportedly diverted from government coffers.