Carlos Perla and corruption

After years of trying to flee justice, Carlos Perla, returned to El Salvador today. Perla was the former head of ANDA, the Salvadoran water ministry. He is being charged with gross acts of corruption during his time there. Perla had fled to France and for more than a year had fought extradition, claiming that the charges against him in El Salvador were a political vendetta.

The Perla case brings into the spotlight the question of government corruption in El Salvador. Recently, Transparency International released its annual Corruption Perceptions Index. Although El Salvador ranks relatively well, (57th in the world, 8th in the Americas), its overall score of 4.0 qualifies the country as having serious perceived levels of corruption. As Transparency International works to show, corruption has a direct link to poverty:
“Corruption traps millions in poverty,” said Transparency International Chair Huguette Labelle. “Despite a decade of progress in establishing anti-corruption laws and regulations, today’s results indicate that much remains to be done before we see meaningful improvements in the lives of the world’s poorest citizens.”

The 2006 Corruption Perceptions Index is a composite index that draws on multiple expert opinion surveys that poll perceptions of public sector corruption in 163 countries around the world, the greatest scope of any CPI to date. It scores countries on a scale from zero to ten, with zero indicating high levels of perceived corruption and ten indicating low levels of perceived corruption.

A strong correlation between corruption and poverty is evident in the results of the CPI 2006. Almost three-quarters of the countries in the CPI score below five (including all low-income countries and all but two African states) indicating that most countries in the world face serious perceived levels of domestic corruption. Seventy-one countries - nearly half - score below three, indicating that corruption is perceived as rampant. Haiti has the lowest score at 1.8; Guinea, Iraq and Myanmar share the penultimate slot, each with a score of 1.9. Finland, Iceland and New Zealand share the top score of 9.6.

Comments

El-Visitador said…
It's actually fairly simple.

Have a state-owned monopoly for 50 years, and watch continuous corruption and mismanagement for 50 years.

Or privatize.

Anyone has heard of any corruption at ANTEL since it was privatized? No, I didn't think so. And even if anyone had, it would be a shareholder problem, not a taxpayer problem.
Anonymous said…
The only reason why you don't see more corruption from our part is because ARENA, which everyone knows is the party of ANEP so this tells you that you can't trust Salvadoran businessmen with running a country, is because ARENA controls every single crevice of this country. From Corte de Cuentas, PNC, to Corte Suprema de Justicia to Asamblea Legislativa with the under the table deals with PNC-PDC.

In fact, lets forget that if you unclugged all the putrefaction hidden by PNC's control of Corte de Cuentas, do you know that "Probidad" was CLOSED down by orders of the Corte Suprema de Justicia shortly after their ongoing investigation of Francisco Flores?

Taken from this website:

http://www.justiceinitiative.org/db/resource2?res_id=101906

Probidad El Salvador (PES): Busca fortalecer la capacidad de la sociedad salvadoreña para la erradicación de prácticas corruptas. A través de sus actividades se promueve mayor transparencia en los presupuestos públicos, el sistema judicial, los portales gubernamentales y el procesamiento de casos de corrupción. Además se apoyan iniciativas anticorrupción y se promueve el periodismo fiscalizador."


Like Derechos Humanos, Probidad was already running on scant resources, it used to investigate on corruption cases, but it was shut down. If all of this info came out, I'd asure you that El Salvador would plummet to the 80s. This same entity, was the one that accused Alfredo Cristiani of being one of the most corrupt presidents of the region, and as you know, he was the champion of privatization, or should I say monopolization? He and his cousin Hector Cristiani were involved in miltimillionare theft "negociacionez ilicitas".

Now we speak of Perla, in LPG he commented that he would incriminate Francisco Flores, who as oppossed to Perla, has a freaking lagoon built with ANDA equipment and finance on his OWN PROPERTY, if that is not enough proof to incriminate him, then the sun must not shine either. But do you see a case being brought up against Perla? No. Not only that, but Perla makes an interesting remark, that it was shortly after elections, that Casaca suddenly calls for Perla's detention... after being gone for 3 years? Please. It was Casaca's example of an "Octobre Surprise".

Perla will be given a slap on the fist, he'll be asked by La Fiscalia General, that is another institute that covers up all the corruption of the players (Poma, Quiroz, Prieto), to hush, that like Hill, he will be giving a small term in prison, and then released to enjoy his small fortune.

Here read this out. Long times ago, I wrote out links and seevral cases of corruption, illegal privatization (monopolization) of the banks/ingenios/telephones, I would gldly dive deeper and post it here, but suffice to say is that privatization? Bullshit. We need to get rid of the monopolies if anything, those that are in power of the same small families. And get rid of ARENA-PCN, they are the high-rollers of narcotrafficiking and moneylaundery, and Perla? Dismiss him, as said he'll go off lightly, and the real perpetrator Flores must be enjoying himself in USA with total liberty, because USA always gives sanctuary to druglords, corrupt officials, assassins, etc.




Another issue.... Teleton. To this day, people are seeing their leukemia progress because hospitals due to their scant budget are without the proper medications for treatment. Prepostrous, but every now and then you have Teleton, where companies can evade taxes (tax evasion in this country is at 33% as of now, that just talks big about the private companies of our country), and make a show of donating things to somehting Salud already should be covering and if properly funding WOULD.
Anonymous said…
Yeah privatization solves everything... Privatize hospitals, and to cut costs give placebo to every damn patient, and the only harmed will be the shareholders, privitaze water, and let sewage water filter into everything, don't carry the services everywhere, charge 40 dollars more for the services and the only harmed ones are the shareholders, screw you visitador. Liar.
Anonymous said…
Oh, just another thing. Some months ago, some donations of leukimia medicine "mysteriously" disappear, and then poof they reappear! The real mystery, is how much of that medicine was already sold. Because things like this going on is normal. International donations disappear here everyday, and one day or another you'll see ARENA propping them up shortly before elections to use them like election campaigns, or they sell them betweeen themselves. One hugely famous case is the BFA case (of which Hector Cristiani, cousin/brother--dun exactly remember-- stole millions from in the "privatization of Ingenio el Carmen") of 11 tons of fertilizer donated by the Japanese government FOR THE SMALL FARMERS. What happened? Those eleven million were stolen by Ricardo Montelalegre, ARENA member, former Ministro de Hacienda.
http://revistaprobidad.info/tiki-index.php?page=RetratoCorrupcionSalvadorena

Here read this out, it spells it perfectly. When that dum dum of visitador speaks of privatization, it is actually monopolization, because it is always the same families that control every bank, every construction company, illegally privitize things, illegally favor their own or relative's companies... Remember Erin Brokovich? Well the ANEP-ARENAZI (D'Aubisson was a nazi, and several of ARENA members who still would like to have theour southern values a reference to Confederate South) mafia is a huge "Pacific Gas & Electric Company". But here, no one makes them accountable, because people are kept ignorant, thinks like Probidad that are on to this things are harassed and shut down, and those lone wolves are shot down.

I am not sure if you are aware of the conservative-liberal infighting inside of ARENAZI some years ago (cons being huge coffecultures that wanted gov gear 100% towards coffee business as usual, and the others who wanted more service economy, more transnational ass kissing)... Well, Calderon Sol was THREATENED BY THE PARASITIC ARMY who sides undoubtedly by the cons who consider themselves as the "real ARENAZI". They threatened with a coup, because they felt Calderon Sol was betraying them, the other or somehting of that sort, only those monsters know their doings and PCN (they cover up for them), thing is that the other faction was REPRESENTED BY ALFREDO CRISTIANI. And guess what, that thief, seeing how in a country of brainwashed idiots like in USA you could probably stretch your luck and run a second time and win (reference to Bush). But what happened? As a threat by one of the rivaling factions, TWO CRISTIANI targets were bombed. Those being SISA and his Santa Elena Residence... but it is hush hush... eh? Media here controlled by the same mafia doesn't report on anything... Like Carmen Elena Siman Dada de Jaar arrested in Colombia for moneylaundery in favor of a Colombian Cartel, or that Banco Cuscatlan has been accussed of fraud in Honduras. Suster was kidnapped for the same infighting... Here read this:

http://www.envio.org.ni/articulo/238

El Salvador is corrupt to the bone, thing is that 100% of the population is brainwashed, killed, bought, and the institutes that could report on this corruption are not financed (how convinient) or shut down, or as the CSJ and the Corte de Cuentas, controlled by the mafia.
Hodad said…
I was in contact for a while with PROBIDAD
shame they were shut down
oh well that is ES
the worst piece of shit corrupt country there is in Latin America
where 99% of the people are thieves and liars
from 12 years experience
better Nicargua to work with the fishermen
and hey,I will get USA flags and registration for my fishermen's boats in Nicaragua and fish the hell out of ES waters, and you/they cannot do nada i will just call the embassy, and my congressman if i am messed with

rape it just like the Taiwanese and Chileans are doing to your waters, just now process fish in Nicaragua
ES has the chance but too much corruption
BEWARE ALL
Anonymous said…
"oh well that is ES
the worst piece of shit corrupt country there is in Latin America
where 99% of the people are thieves and liars"

lol... I'm not sure why I'm laughing, but I just can't help it. Maybe I do it because what you said is the truth. What is best, is that ARENAZI is a party sanctioned and treasured by the White House mafia, seriously those dudes that intervened in the 2004 elections should've been flown to El Salvador, naturalized, and forced to run seeing how much time they invested campaigning, just like in Nicaragua...

Anyway man, sadly you are 100% right. El Salvador is the most corrupt place of the region, the most violent country, after Haiti the most deforested/polluted, and with the continuation of the devils in power, things will only get worse... The road up north the mafiosos want to build will only benefitt the mining companies, and transnationals. It is part of the whole "Puebla Panama" plan. Though I'd advise them transnational shippers not to trust Salvadoran drivers or they might steal the merchandise, even in the ports. Also, I'd suggest driving armor plated vehicles, because seeing how violence here is nonstop because stupid ARENAZI ONLY BUT ONLY aimed for narcotrafficking/moneylaundering and cheap labor, you see a lot of opportunism, and desperation here. For example, folks that without criminal record now are taking advantage of the "extortion" plague our country is suffering.

But hey, those stupid cocoroach brains of ARENAZI, NEVER EVER evolved their mind from "hacienda" to country, they don't care whatveer happens, as long as they can have $5 dollars more than the rest of the population. That is why under the TLC after all, our country forfeit about 170 nautic miles of which it no longer administrates, and I am sure the Taiwanese/Spaniards are taking advantage of this. But hey, we don'0t even have a respectable Coast Guard, because all the dumb money goes to the military parasite... but even if we did, for $5 you could buy them. In El Salvador, everything is for sale.

Worst of all, is that from the billions upon billions upon billions of dollars that our presidents, ARENAZI, PCN, and the military steal, we LOOOOOOOVE IT! That is why we keep on voting for the same party, because every Salvadoran has 1000 trillion stashed on their mattress and its only altruistic from our part to let Hill, Domenech, Quiroz, Duch, Cristiani, Perla, Flores, Escalon, Dutriz, Prieto, D'Aubisson, Safie, Siman get some of our cash. We don't care, we've got tons to spare! :D

Seriously, will all the cash those mfs have stolen El Salvador should've been one of the richest countries of the region. I'm sure your 12 years of experience in this country would confirm this.
Hodad said…
yep this is true all you have said

but......
I will return, will organize and work with the fishermen, and anyone fucks with us, well they can go down
as the fishermen have nothing to lose and are left style\

NOW!
I have got quite a few US congressmen interested, democrats, not republican evangelical idiots
so, we will see what happens

there are salvos
wanting justice, and a future for their progeny
now I have the tools, and the interest to look at ANY Salvo that has property,family or business interests in good ole USA

all of us rednecks here in the South are tired of financing this crap in ES
and the miners should be very worried about their health VERY!!!

Viva El Frente!
maybe Oscar Ortiz will win, he seems the only realquality caring for the people candidate for ES and now with the other wins in Latinolandia recently , time to stop the arrogance greed,obesity, and xenophobia that is so prevalent

as i said,after January there will be local and national press on these issues relating to ES and ARENAZI and their crap
seems I cannot get any e mails to the ES papers, woonder why? even Co-latini? but same as far 90% of salvos with e mail computers and the Internet, just enough sense to know how to use it, lots of pop bang flash in their websites
and CERTRACEN and CESTA, not one gd reply
any wonder?
only El Faro is worth a damn for news from ES
Anonymous said…
Speaking of El Faro, check this out:

http://www.elfaro.net/secciones/Noticias/20061127/noticias1_20061127.asp

Looks like the MAFIA (the ES's incompetent mafia businessmen, their party known as ARENAZI, PDC, and PCN) wants to make a coalition comming the 2009 elections, you know ARENAZI is worried about the left resurgence and that populist ex-Sombra Negra Will Salgado has announced a possible candidancy in 2009 for PCN. So they want to propose a tighter coalition, as if PCN getting tons of cash like from the people and covering up ARENAZI's corruption wasn't enought...

Here check this out:

http://www.elfaro.net/secciones/Noticias/20061127/noticias1_20061127.asp

PCN gave ARENAZI's their votes (sell-outs and whores make out our "leaders", that is why we never advance as a country) for 2007's budget. All for one condition: 4.6 million dollars that were for CSJ, will be given to PCN to "finance" projects of PCN's deputies. The projects will obviously be linen their pockets with as much $100 bills as possible.

When you say that now you have the possibility of looking into the interest and property of any salvadoran in USA, it sounds awesome if that means you'd be able to investigate Hills, Flores, Cristiani, Domenech, and eventually have all their goods frozen and their assess in prison, so some guy can make them their women....
Anonymous said…
Oh, btw. I believe you can send "emails" to Colatino here:

http://www.diariocolatino.com/director.asp

or

info@diariocolatino.com

And here is the contact page for La Prensa Grafica, if that was what you were looking for:

http://www.laprensagrafica.com/servicios/contactenos.asp

I do not visit the page of The Devil of Today (Diablo de Hoy), because it has too much pestilence that it might melt my eyes off just by opening it... but here is the sight, tread at your own risk:

http://www.elsalvador.com/
hubble said…
My only hope is that things start to to get better in el salvador.Too much suffering has been going on for so long that sometimes you can loose hope.When you see that nothing changes that the people that control the economy just chane thier way of doing business but with the same goals in mind, exploiting the poor people to keep accumulating more wealth for themselves. Like right know where is no longer the super rich landowner with lost of coffee , now they own all the companies that control everything from food to telecomunications or at least are shareholders. I know people can argue that maquilas provide jobs, but they should pay a little bit more so people can at least save 5 bucks per week after all the expenses are paid so when they can get sick could afford tu buy some medecine to easy their pain.I have to also agreed that the extortion business in el salvador has been made worse byt people who are desparate and altough they themselves are not criminals see the oportunity to make some easy money.The bigger mafiosos are in power and are untouchables, any invastigation get closer to them the whoever is invastigating gets shutdown even kill if he tries to be a hero.