The International Commission Against Impunity in El Salvador (Cicies) presented this Thursday to the Government of El Salvador a series of proposals for legal reforms to combat corruption and impunity, according to a statement issued by the Organization of American States (OAS ).
The proposals of the Cicies, created by an agreement between the Government and the OAS, seek to “prevent corruption, guarantee transparency, accountability of officials, as well as new typologies for the prosecution of crimes against State assets.”
According to the source, the Cicies proposes reforms to the laws of Illicit Enrichment of Public Officials and Employees, against Money and Asset Laundering; reform or repeal of the laws, Civil Protection Fund, Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, Government Ethics, Special Domain Extinction, among others.
In addition, it recommends the strengthening of the Office of the Attorney General of the Republic (FGR) and other control institutions, “make efficient and transparent the processes for electing second-degree officials and updating laws that effectively regulate the public function.”
The suggested reforms “derive from an analysis of various proposals made by instances of civil society and intergovernmental entities,” the note states.
The proposals were delivered to the Salvadoran Foreign Minister, Alexandra Hill, and to the legal secretary of the Presidency, Conan Castro, in a meeting with the commissioner in El Salvador de la Cicies, Ronalth Ochaeta.
Since its installation in 2019, the Cicies has provided around 25 technical assistance to the Prosecutor’s Office in “high impact” processes, requested by the attorney general, Raúl Melara.
It has also transferred 60 recommendations to the Executive body on good practices for institutional strengthening as a result of the special monitoring of the use of public funds destined to care for the covid-19 pandemic, according to the statement.