The situation in El Salvador

Although I don't usually think much of the Washington Times, the paper this week had a fairly good summary of the economic situation in the country last week. Here is an excerpt:
Analysts contend that much of the reluctance of foreign companies to invest in El Salvador stems from concern that the country has yet to overcome the atrocities of its violent past and lacks a strong judiciary to protect foreign investors.

"The level of corruption and impunity in doing business here remains high," noted Alvaro Trigueros Arguello, an economic analyst for Fusades, the leading think tank in El Salvador.

"Legal security" for foreign investment remains a "major concern," conceded Mrs. Mayora. The continuing inefficacy of the country's courts to prosecute criminals in a timely manner has soured public opinion at home about the attitude the Arena government has toward the Salvadoran people and frightened foreign firms regarding the judicial bureaucracy of doing day-to-day business in the country.

"It's best not to deal with the justice system here," said Tim Bovensiepen, an executive in San Salvador with German printing-press manufacturer Heidelberg, who noted that when debts incurred by domestic clients go unpaid, the legal wrangling and red tape involved make it unprofitable to seek payment by taking a client to court.

El Salvador's judiciary has also earned a reputation for being soft on organized crime, which is said to traffic billions of dollars worth of cocaine each year from Colombia and elsewhere in South America to the United States and Europe.

Comments

Anonymous said…
"El Salvador's judiciary has also earned a reputation for being soft on organized crime, which is said to traffic billions of dollars worth of cocaine each year from Colombia and elsewhere in South America to the United States and Europe."

This shouldn't be a surprise to anyone nor should believe it will stop.

El Salvador's cocaine traffic network was set by USA through it's Cuban operatives that were involved in desastibilizing Latin America. Posada Carrilles, as many know was here managing just that, and ARENA-ANEP people like Cristiani, Sol, and Domenech are mayor accomplices. Yes, if El Salvador pulled the plug on the money laundering mafia that would mean liquidate ARENA, arresting its mayor leaders, and freezing their things. But you won't ever see that, because ARENA=part of USA's posse.

I believe Americans should either legalize drugs, so you cut all this crap of illegal adquisition of drugs be not only dangerous, not only causing wars in multiple of countries, but also BEING EXPENSIVE. If you can grow your own cocaine/marijuana, then you wouldn't need of the cartels. Or demand the government that you are not to pay taxes for the so-called "War on Drugs", because the CIA is and has in protection most of the world's biggest drug barons. They do so to finance their covert operations, and their mayor markets are the USA, Russia, Europe.
Anonymous said…
I could write a book on the justice,Fiscalia system in El Salvador and my very bad experiences
getting ripped off, taken advantage of, etc etc etc
even with the initial investment of a factory in a free trade zone and the drug dealing fool my greedy partner brought in and the subsequent quitting of my workers due to his hatred and arrogance, and seemingly planned hubris to send out drugs in my product

one, my house was raided by 20 guys in masks, the drug police, seems someone said I had drugs, a whore that was a friend of a judge it seems, one i kicked out for wanting drugs
they left after busting my door, scaring my dog, and leaving a shambles
of course they found nothing,some residue from a previous visitor is all
just one story

My partners in this club, have ripped me off for lots of money. this isn't over yet, they have gotten it out that they want to kill me, my friends tell me ,fishermen, surfing buddies,others known to me, ones that even call me here in USA etc.
when i paid the rent,food, fixed the car, paid the light bill for these people, same guy that was a dirty ex cop, dishonorable discharge military,broke many laws in the two styated he had illegal sex oriented businesses a pedophile for 12 year old girls in the Phillipines and Thailand, even had tour groups before he came to ES, with his married Guanaca,this one that was a street hooker drug addict in LA for years,and is hated by pretty much everyone in San Sal AND of whom there are 5 or 6 women to say he had sexual relations with,that worked in the club, me, no way, no way, you never shit where you eat, adultery IS a crime in ES, punishable by jail time it seems. we will see how thew system works
and the other partner, a so-called important account in ES, before, that most everyone when his name is spoken the reply is. "oh that scum bag" should hear the story conecrning what they did to a bride of one of his sons, what a sad story to discredit a nice woman's family,
I put the money in originally for this club,and built it from scratch,lived ther, had lots of blood,sweat and tears, sure it was bad karma, but it was my investment, they have blatently ripped me off, and even have pissed off the Hacienda and Dr. Silva and the frente in the press a few times due to corrupt dealings and were closed a few times by Hacienda, his wife's own sister will tell of stealing and corruption, as an employee there

but many tell me, where as they are scared to go one block, they should be,they mistrated lots of employees I go where i wish

this will be an ongoing story,and I will keep you posted, as the FBI and IRS here DO have jurisdiction in ES as these folks have US Citizenship and having family in politics here that care about me want to see this resolved, ineffective ES justice-fiscalia or not!
WHILE here in USA taking care of my ailing parents they ripped me off, sold the place and did not pay my interests,
EL SALVADOR JUSTICE, BIG JOKE
that's ok, just need to find an old frined of the mayor's in Mejicanos, a bad ass lawyer, i hope this time, as 95% are not worth a crap in ES, but that is true worldwide it seems

soy gringo de USA
without the USA ES would be nada, true it is
coffee,sugar,shrimp as exports,acapatelo[get f...... real] no more
read the stats, the only money for the economy is from remittances,FROM THE USA
that is what runs the economy
the maquilas are leaving for China, only the rude Koreans and Taiwanese are left
shame, as the Salvadoreans are THE hardest working people in the world

but true, another reason not too many invest in ES, no justice

maybe I should just forget it, go to Nicaragua, put people to work there as it seems Mr. Ortega will win

and start calling immigration on all Salvadoreans here to deport them form the Carolinas, or just knock them out, and drop them at the police stations???huh?
how would they like that?
they ARE here Illegal, correct?
not to that point yet,
but the system is corrupt in ES and
does not work,
they[fiscalia-abogados] mostly are all papi-pagas, in their suits and ties, and do nada
that is why violence is so prevalent
as the regular folks know that the system DOES NOT WORK.
Anonymous said…
puno cerrado,
once again you are absolutely correct
the contra were operating in Ilopongo, and still are with CIA assholes help
I knew Barry Seal in 1973
legalize ALL drugs is the only way
take the big bux out of it
people will always do something
folks do not hear of all those in middle east chewing Khat or in Indonesia and Taiwan chewing beetle nut!
such hipocrisy
when i was last in ES this summer,
heard quite a bit that it seems the USA ambassador is/was? quite involved in narco trafficking in wherever he came from, Connecticut maybe?
would not be surpised
Anne Patterson went where after ES to Colombia!
wonder why?
best to keep an eye on the business huh?
Anonymous said…
Anonymous... you really got screwed. It is a damn pity. You know it is shit that to start business somewhere you've got to establish contacts and you'll never really know what kind of person you'll get associated with.

But yes, you got screwed, and I believe that you became acquainted with one ill that infects thousands of people in Latin America (El Salvador): ungratefulness. You know, guanaco thought goes "People already think I'll steal so I'll just go ahead and do that", "Those who steal are vivo those who don't are not"... And that is the truth. It is a pity you saw what, multiple ventures of yours screwed up, and the raid... hah, knowning our police wouldn't surprise me if they did that to intimidate you. Are you pro-FMLN? Or something? Hahaha...

Regarding your proposal of deporting salvadorans, etc... You have my blessings (either deport them all, or MAKE IT ILLEGAL TO SEND REMITTANCES, DEMAND THEM TO ASSIMILATE AND FORGET ABOUT MANTAINING THE DAMN COUNTRIES THAT EJECTED THEM). Me, I WANT for El Salvador to crumble and then restart. You are damn right, this crooked country, indebted country NEEDS a change. And if it weren't for the remittances people WOULD see the truth for what it is, and the whole country would collapse and then PERHAPS this damn country could resume what the damn USA prevented: a CHANGE, a REVOLUTION. because that is the ONLY thing that can save this country. A drastic change, because every place of this country is infected with corruption. Lawyers, medics, teachers, aduana men, policemen, soldiers, "businessmen", clerics, government officials, etc. We need a Castro or someone to break the vicious cycle we are in, which as of now seems to be unbreakable, because ARENA WINNING FOUR TIMES EVEN AFTER THE THREE PREVIOUS PRESIDENTS WERE INVOLVED IN CRIMINAL ACTIVITIES!? And even the top heads of FMLN are betraying what the party supposedly stands for and imbeds with ARENA, they are going through the PDC phase... One time ARENAZI-PCN archrival, now a prostitute part of the mafia.

But definately. This country needs a reboot. Unfortunately, people in the USA, which believe it or not is the world's #1 terrorist state/terrorist sponsor (just ask Noriega, Somoza, Taliban, Saddam, Osama Bin Laden, Alqaeda, ARENAZI, Pinochet, Carrilles, etc.) DON'T PUT A CONDOM on their OWN country to stop it from screwing the worlds over, and in the meantime screwing YOUSELF (war in Iraq? FOR OIL, more than a half million deaths and counting. Afghanistan? Um, why didn't Bush accept the Taliban offer of delivering OBL's head in a silver platter? Because of the gas/oil duct Afghanistan was planning to build). So yes, 2,800 US soldiers have died so Bechtel, Halliburton, etc. can make a good buck.

About the drug, yes, I previously said that the only way to end the narcocapitalist system that the CIA has set up, is either by MAKING DRUGS LEGAL so any poor snob can grow their own addictions henceforth not having need of any middleman that will con you $$$$$$ for your supply of whatever. And that way, the cartels would be no more, their cocaine and all the narcodollars they have would stop and they wouldn't be able to purchase governments/death squads, create wars, etc.

But there is another method. The "if you traffic and consume drugs, it is OFF WITH YOUR HEAD". Yeah, that extreme. For example, I was reading something about Singapore about how they have severe laws, and death penalty for murder and drug related crimes, their severity has managed to prevent a drug mafia from forming in the country. Also Afghanistan under the Taliban, liquidated 85% of the opium harvest, because they made it FORBIDDEN to grow said things, to the point USA gave them MILLIONS OF TAXPAYER money for such ordeal... I can only wonder what could've been punishment for growing opium (which CIA uses to traffic) in Taliban controlled regions, seeing how they are strict theocrats... Death, perhaps? But hell, who cares. Taliban is off, and since opium production in Afghanistan has skyrocketed.

Eitherway man, I am not sure if you are that same gringo that posts here regularly... but really man, have my sympathies for being screwed up by this damn Third World system. Me? I'd suggest you to do business either in Costa Rica, Panama, or maybe even Guatemala. More educated people, but as far as Honduras Nicaragua are concerned, even those places are better than El Salvador :(

Nyways, good luck with that ugly thing you are going through. Hopefully (and with time, obviously... heh, wouldn't surprise me if it took you a year or more to "fix" everything or just see that it is futile) all will work for the best. And do keep us posted






... And yes, I noticed that I'm quite a cynic... So no need of pointing that out ;)

Oh, BTW, you can bet that the USA ambassador in Colombia is prolly sitting somewhere counting the millions made by the trafficking, and dividing it into what it is going to be invested in: purchase police precinct, payment to the Colombia sponsored death squads, finance for the anti-Cuba operations, for the CIA, for a new Rolls Royce, retirement, etc.
Hodad said…
Puno Cerrado
quite eloquent and once again, right on
I will have a super long post manana
if Tim permits, and it IS interesting, and is MY side of the story of more of my experiences and posiible future in ES
but with these kind words of yours, and the deaths today of 2 Lutheran preachers, you got my juices going

have a great evening

geodomehome.com
fairtradefish.org
earthpeoplfoundation.org

a couple of my simple,humble, ugly(fast loading, lol) sites

but google and yahoo love me
Peace
Anonymous said…
Hey, by all means, post your story. Take a fight against this country's retrograde system, and if you win I'll accolade you a Hero.

Don't let yourself be a victim of the same social degradation and institutionalized corruption that we natives of this "country" are subject to year to year. Hopefully, as I said previously, things WILL turn in your favor cause it SUCKS when a salvadoran goes marufio just to get the best out of a "deal" and screws up things that could benefit forever and to the majority.

BTW, it is many days past "midnight", guess you are not done yet summarizing your memoirs of your time in this country...