The Venezuelan government denounced this Sunday an “unprecedented judicial persecution” against former Salvadorian President Salvador Sanchez Ceren, sWho weighs an arrest warrant in your country?.

“Venezuela expresses its solidarity with the former President of the Republic of El Salvador, Salvador Sanchez Ceren and an important group of former officials in his government who are fighters of the Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front, victims of unprecedented judicial persecution,” a statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs noted.

Last week, the Salvadoran attorney general ordered the arrest of the former leftist president (2014/1019) in a case related to embezzlement of state funds.

See: The Public Prosecutor’s Office brings five former FMLN officials arrested in court and charges them with two crimes

The alleged facts date back to the government of Mauricio Funes (2009-2014), a former FMLN fighter. At that time Sanchez Serene was vice president.

Salvadoran authorities also detained former ministers and former deputy ministers in Funes last week, in a measure described as “arbitrary” by the Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front and other organizations.

This Sunday, the Office of the Attorney General (FGR) filed the tax order against 10 former officials in the government of former President Mauricio Funes (2009-2014). They were charged with the crimes of money laundering, assets and illicit enrichment.

Police guard Violetta Menjivar, Hugo Flores Hidalgo (center) and Erlinda Hindal before they arrive at the Second Peace Court in San Salvador. Photo EDH/Minley Cortez

The accused include Violeta Menjivar, Carlos Caceres, Erlinda Hindal, Calixto Mejia and Hugo Flores Hidalgo, who were sent to the Isidro Menendez Judicial Center under tight security.

Outside the courts, members of the Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front and its fighters protested the arrests.

Oscar Ortiz, general secretary of the Lebanese Northern Martiga Front and former vice president of the country between 2014 and 2019, noted that former officials were “deprived of their liberty” without respecting “the legal aspects with complete impunity as in the 1980s.”

“We will accompany them to the end, the FMLN will be with them” and “in these dark moments in the country we will continue to fight,” he said. He added: “Today we want to destroy all political parties opposed to this ruling elite that wants to benefit from all the state’s resources economically.”

Annabelle Peloso, the current FMLN MP in the legislature, said the arrest of the former officials is a “deprivation of liberty” and declared: “We have fallen behind in terms of law, institutions and, above all, the democratic process.” In addition, he described Najib Boukil’s government as a dictatorship.

Lorena Peña also came to accompany the five accused and asked to stop the “political persecution”. Photo EDH/Lysette Montrosa

“This cannot be allowed in the country, we have built a system of liberties, a system in which right must prevail, and now we see that it is all dismantled,” said Nydia Diaz, the historical leader of the FMLN.

The FMLN governments have maintained a very close relationship with Maduro, particularly Sanchez Ceren, whom the president described as “one of the most important leaders in the political history of the Central American nation,” according to the statement.

President Najib was replaced by a deputy attorney general in May, who reactivated corruption investigations against previous governments.