The Second Criminal Chamber of San Salvador sentenced the former president of the Legislative Assembly, former presidential candidate and deputy of the Central American Parliament Norman Quijano to 13 years and four months in prison on Tuesday for the crimes of electoral fraud and illicit associations for having agreed benefits for the gangs in exchange for their support in the 2014 presidential elections.
“The Chamber has estimated that the fact that he was accused was proven,” confirmed defense lawyer Lisandro Quintanilla upon leaving the trial to which the press was not allowed access.
The sentence includes his disqualification as a deputy of the Central American Parliament (PARLACEN), which cannot be fulfilled since the Salvadoran court lacks jurisdiction to issue such an order.
The court’s decision was confirmed by the Attorney General’s Office of the Republic on its official account on the social network X, formerly Twitter.
The Public Ministry had accused Quijano of negotiating with the leaders of the Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) and Barrio 18 gangs to help him win the presidential election in which former guerrilla commander Salvador Sánchez Cerén, of the Farabundo Martí Front, finally triumphed. for National Liberation (FMLN).
The Prosecutor’s Office affirms that Quijano promised, among other things, economic benefits, reducing the level of police operation against gangs and reintegration programs in favor of its members. The Public Prosecutor’s Office based its evidence on testimonies from gang members who received “special” treatment and perks to give said statements.
According to the accusation, days before the second round of elections in 2014, Quijano met with leaders of the two gangs and “carried out illicit negotiations in which he made offers of benefits.”
In a second meeting where Quijano was not present but former guerrilla commander Raúl Mijangos—who died in prison while being prosecuted for the same crime—a briefcase with $100,000 was given to the gang members, according to the Prosecutor’s Office.
According to Salvadoran and international digital media, at the same time and as a member of the FMLN, the current President of the Republic, Nayib Bukele, mayor of Nuevo Cuscatlán (2012-2015) and mayor of San Salvador (2015-2018) carried out the same type of meetings with gangs.
The trial was carried out despite the absence of Quijano, who is a fugitive, after the country’s Criminal Procedure Code was reformed in 2022 to be able to prosecute a defendant even without being present. INTERPOL refuses to pursue Quijano because it argues that it is political persecution.
Quijano left El Salvador on April 30, 2021 when there were just a few hours left before the legislative period in the Legislative Assembly and the constitutional jurisdiction that prevented the authorities from capturing him came to an end. Quijano performs his duties as a PARLACEN deputy without being detained by any security body in Central America.
In December of that year, Congress, now in the hands of the ruling party, decided to remove Quijano’s privilege as a PARLACEN deputy. Quijano’s lawyers argued that the removal process was illegal, because it was not up to the Salvadoran Congress to withdraw his constitutional protection but to the Central American Legislature, but the judges authoritatively dismissed his claim.
The Prosecutor’s Office presented the accusation against Quijano on May 1, 2021 and a week later a court issued an arrest warrant against him. He also asked Interpol to issue a red search and capture notice, but this was not accepted because it involved “political persecution.”