- Title: El Salvador's top cop pursues politicians; now some want him gone
- Date: 21st December 2018
- Summary: SAN SALVADOR, EL SALVADOR (RECENT) (REUTERS) ATTORNEY GENERAL DOUGLAS MELENDEZ DURING REUTERS INTERVIEW MELENDEZ'S HANDS (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) ATTORNEY GENERAL OF EL SALVADOR, DOUGLAS MELENDEZ, SAYING: "The context of the attorney general's work in a country where we are not used to this due to impunity is not easy. So things have to be done in a different way, in an uncon
- Embargoed: 4th January 2019 22:37
- Keywords: El Salvador San Salvador Douglas Melendez attorney general corruption former president Mauricio Funes
- Location: SAN SALVADOR, EL SALVADOR
- City: SAN SALVADOR, EL SALVADOR
- Country: El Salvador
- Topics: Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA0029BW3GW3
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: When El Salvador's legislative assembly confirmed little-known Douglas Melendez as attorney general in 2016, many here thought it was business as usual in a country where high-level corruption has long gone unpunished.
But in less than three years, Melendez has put one former president in prison, investigated another and has a third in his sights. He has also jailed his predecessor, a judge and a top businessman, among others.
Some in El Salvador's political class have seen enough. Congress must vote before January 5 on whether the 52-year-old career prosecutor can stay on for another three-year term. Despite international support, Melendez has powerful opponents in the ruling leftist party. El Salvador's lawmakers could make their decision as soon as this week.
Even if he survives that vote, the backlash is likely to continue. Melendez said he has received death threats. And the leading candidate in February's presidential contest has talked of jail time for Melendez.
Growing pressure on Melendez is the latest sign that an anti-corruption drive that swept parts of Latin American in recent years may be faltering.
Judges and prosecutors across the region have made strides to clean up the region's notoriously greasy politics. In addition to El Salvador, Peru, Guatemala and Brazil have all charged and imprisoned former presidents.
But those high-profile purges have bred resistance among political players whose power is threatened by their work.
Tiny El Salvador borrowed practices from its neighbours for its anti-corruption drive. Similar to graft-busters in Honduras and Guatemala, Melendez created a separate unit called the "Group Against Impunity," which now has some 25 handpicked prosecutors working on the most high-profile corruption cases.
Melendez says he is working with a lean budget, and the attorney general's office was infiltrated by organised crime when he arrived. He is currently prosecuting his predecessor Luis Martinez for money laundering, illicit negotiations and a slew of other crimes.
Martinez allegedly accepted bribe payments in cash, trips and cars from powerful people to protect them. Martinez denies the charges. His lawyer declined to comment.
Melendez famously insulted the partner of leftist former President Mauricio Funes, comparing her to a public works project because so much taxpayer money allegedly was spent on her upkeep, including for plastic surgery.
Funes said no public money was spent on plastic surgery, and that Melendez's comment was sexist. The attorney general is currently trying to extradite Funes from Nicaragua, where he fled to escape charges of embezzlement and money laundering.
Like Funes, many of the political figures Melendez has pursued are linked to the ruling Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front or FMLN, the former leftist guerilla army that became a political party at the end of the country's civil war in 1992. Party members say that is evidence of his bias.
Still, Melendez has some powerful backers of his own, particularly in the international community. Foreign governments and international bodies including the United Nations have offered support and funding for his work. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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