Interpol rejects El Salvador arrest request for ex-president

SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador – Interpol has informed authorities in El Salvador for the second time in less than six months that it will not issue a red notice for the capture of fugitive ex-President Mauricio Funes.

Funes and three family members have been in Nicaragua since 2016 where the government of Daniel Ortega granted them asylum.

Prosecutors in El Salvador accuse Funes of a number of acts of corruption, including the embezzlement of millions of dollars of public funds. Funes has denied wrongdoing and says he is the victim of political persecution.

Funes said via Twitter that if Interpol refused for a second time to issue a capture request, it means they have solid reasons for doing so.

El Salvador’s National Civil Police director Howard Cotto announced Interpol’s decision Thursday.