With 66 votes the Legislative Assembly endorses the establishment of a case against Norman Quijano, deputy for the PARLACEN. His constitutional privilege of immunity was revoked to face justice for the crimes of electoral fraud and illicit associations.
The end to his immunity privilege was approved by Nuevas Ideas, GANA, PCN, and PDC legislative parties. Quijano’s colleague deputies from ARENA left the building.
As of this moment, Norman Quijano is suspended in the exercise of his functions and, for no reason, will he be able to continue in his position.
Quijano — who fled to Honduras last May – and members of his campaign team held several meetings with members of criminal structures where they offered economic and social benefits in exchange for electoral support in the 2014 presidential elections.
In those elections, Quijano was running as ARENA’s candidate for the presidency of El Salvador for the 2014-2019 period, and the FMLN candidate was Salvador Sánchez Cerén, now a Nicaraguan national and accused of acts of corruption in his government.
The prosecution indicates that one of Quijano’s meetings with the gangs took place in the National Shepherds Network, in the Flor Blanca neighborhood of San Salvador, prior to the second round of the electoral campaign. In the first round, Quijano had obtained at least 500,000 fewer votes compared to Sánchez Cerén.
It was stated that in addition to the $100,000M promise to gangs, the appointment of Facundo Guardado — ex-guerrilla commander — as Minister of Justice and Public Security in the eventual Quijano government was also agreed with the gangs.
Also, the negotiator of the truce between gangs and columnist for El Diario de Hoy, Paolo Lüers delivered — with the endorsement of COENA — $ 100,000 to three gang leaders, divided as follows: $ 50,000 for the Mara Salvatrucha, $ 25,000 for the revolutionary gang 18 and $ 25,000 to the gang 18 Southerners.
“During the campaign — 2021 legislative elections —, the opposition said we were against the balance of powers but, who was in that balance? There was a Prosecutor General Office led by ARENA, bought magistrates and corrupt judges” — Faction Chief for the Cyan political caucus, Christian Guevara.
“This day, we have made a clear and forceful decision. It is a historic moment, Salvadorans should know that behind all the pain of the people there were always characters like Norman Quijano involved ” — President of Salvadoran Congress, Ernesto Castro concluded.