Salvadoran authorities confirmed on Monday that former presidential candidate and former Legislative Assembly president Norman Quijano has been transferred to a penitentiary to serve a 13-year and four-month prison sentence after being deported from the United States. The Attorney General’s Office reported that Quijano was received from U.S. authorities and formally notified of the conviction issued nearly two years ago.
“He will be transferred to a penitentiary where he will serve the sentence imposed by Salvadoran justice,” the Prosecutor’s Office said in a post on X, thanking U.S. authorities for their cooperation. President Nayib Bukele later commented on the case, writing, “A message to all those who flee from justice.”
Quijano, a former mayor of San Salvador and a senior figure in the opposition ARENA party, was arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement on March 6, 2025, and held in immigration detention in Texas. He had been convicted in absentia in April 2024 by the Second Criminal Chamber of San Salvador for illicit associations and electoral fraud.
Prosecutors said Quijano negotiated with leaders of the MS-13 and Barrio 18 gangs during the 2014 presidential campaign, offering political favors and benefits in exchange for votes. The court found documentary evidence, witness testimony, and audio recordings sufficient to support the conviction. The sentence also includes a ban on holding public office, leading authorities to notify the Central American Parliament to initiate proceedings for his removal.
Quijano’s defense has rejected the ruling. His former attorney, Lisandro Quintanilla, argued at the time that “the facts were not proven, and neither the videos nor the audio transcripts demonstrate that any negotiation with gangs took place.” Despite these objections, the conviction was upheld, marking one of the most significant cases involving a former presidential contender in El Salvador’s recent history.