Maria Lilian Pacas de Bolaños is the new Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Livestock, replacing the former Deputy Minister Pablo Unliker Infante, who had held the position since mid-April, when he left the ministry.

According to the presidency, the appointment of Pakas aims to promote the so-called master plan of agricultural rescue, which seeks to integrate the coffee sector as “one of the main pillars of El Salvador’s development”.

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Previously, Bacas de Bollanius held the position of Executive Director of the Salvadoran Coffee Board, in addition, he was the national champion of Barismo in 2008.

After the appointment of the new deputy minister, it has not been determined whether Unliker will continue to serve in the said state portfolio.

On April 14, when Unleiker’s appointment became deputy minister, following his dismissal from the position of Minister of Agriculture, several sectors confirmed that it was an illegal appointment that sought to “protect” the former minister, who was indicated to be related to unlawful compensation. Procurement during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

President Buckley said on April 7 that Unliker would “continue to contribute to his experience” to the ministry, but did not disclose that he would continue to be deputy minister, thus preserving his jurisdiction. EDH Image / Archive

The Anti-Corruption Legal Advice Center (Alac) of the Development Foundation (Funde) was one of the entities that responded to Anliker’s appointment as Deputy Minister at the time, and the main argument was that the official did not meet the requirements for appointment to the position, which is contained in the Constitution of the Republic.

For this reason, Wilson Sandoval, Alac-Funde Coordinator, filed a lawsuit of unconstitutionality to appoint Anliker as Deputy Minister. “The claim of unconstitutionality is based on two aspects,” Sandoval said on that occasion, “one of which is the notorious morals that the minister lacks, and this can be discussed with the general facts.”

Anliker was in charge of the institution that is currently being investigated by both the Attorney General’s Office and the Court of Accounts for irregularities in the procurement process made for the Health Emergencies Program (PES) that delivers food packages to residents in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Among the main irregularities found in the audit conducted by the Audit Bureau to date were the purchase of cornmeal at an additional cost, the purchase of food products without health records and invalid consumption records of the foreign companies from which they purchased the supplies. .

In addition, Unleiker, as Minister of Agriculture, refused to give an account of how much and how he was using the public funds that had been allocated to him through the Emergency Recovery and Reconstruction Fund (FERRE) when requested by the Citizens Watch and Oversight Committee.

Anliker is also undergoing complaints with the Ethics Court for blocking audits by the Court of Accounts since last year.