SAN SALVADOR.- Norman Quijano, former presidential candidate of El Salvador in 2014faces a 13-year prison sentence for his ties to gangs and accusations of electoral fraud.
The Attorney General’s Office (FGR) announced this Tuesday that Quijano, 77 years old and a member of the Nationalist Republican Alliance (Arena), was found guilty of electoral fraud and illicit association.
The sentence, handed down by the Second Criminal Chamber of San Salvador, also includes the disqualification of Quijano from exercising his position as a deputy in the Central American Parliament.
These measures are based on evidence indicating that the former Salvadoran presidential candidate would have given a total of $100,000 to gangs in order to secure votes during the 2014 elections.
During the judicial process, the Prosecutor’s Office presented evidence suggesting that Quijano provided $50,000 to the Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) and $25,000 to each of the two factions of the Barrio 18 gang (Revolucionarios and Sureños).
It should be noted that Quijano, who also served as mayor of San Salvador, had a prominent role in imposing the presidential sash on the current president. Nayib Bukele on June 1, 2019.
Quijano’s defense lawyer, Lisandro Quintanillaannounced plans to appeal the sentence, which will likely prolong this case that generated great public attention in El Salvador.
Source: With information from AFP
