Former Salvadorean president Francisco Flores, who is under investigation over the alleged misuse of US$10 million that Taiwan donated to El Salvador, tried to flee the country on Tuesday, Salvadorean President Mauricio Funes said.
Flores has denied the accusation and appeared before a congressional committee to deny any wrongdoing.
Funes had said that a border agent noticed strange behavior in a bus that Flores had boarded that was headed for Guatemala,
“At 11am, ex-president Flores tried to leave the country on a bus [at] La Hachadura crossing and he had gone through immigration ... seeking to flee from justice,” Funes told a press conference.
“We made him come back because he had not reported his departure. In other words, he was hiding there — only the driver had reported he was there,” the president said, adding that Flores was supposed to appear on Tuesday before lawmakers investigating the donation case.
Funes recently alleged that three checks — for US$1 million, US$4 million and US$5 million — were issued by the Bank of New York on behalf of Taiwan and endorsed by Flores.
The checks were received by a Banco Cuscatlan branch in Costa Rica and sent to a bank in the Bahamas through another bank in Miami, Funes said.
Taiwan donated the money to El Salvador in the waning months of Flores’ presidency, between 2003 and 2004, the president added.
“If his conscience is clean, if he didn’t do anything with that US$10 million, then why is [Flores] sneaking out of the country at the Hachadura border crossing?” Funes said.
Flores said he had personal business in Guatemala, but turned back at the border.
He also insisted that he made no personal use of the money.
Flores maintains that he accepted the money, but did nothing inappropriate, passing it on through the proper channels.
Flores has told investigators he did not receive the funds from Taiwan for a government cooperation account. He said he received them on a personal basis from the president of Taiwan.
These contributions were “normal” and Taiwan has been giving them to countries that recognize it diplomatically for years, he added.
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