Some 25 civil society groups fighting against corruption and impunity in El Salvador have denounced “a murky deal” between political parties in the 84-seat legislative assembly after deputies voted to carry out 16 amendments to the asset forfeiture law, known as the Ley de Extinción de Dominio, in mid-July. The upshot of the changes is that it will be much more difficult for deputies embroiled in drug-trafficking, extortion, or corruption to lose their assets obtained through these illicit activities. The reforms were widely condemned as self-serving, and the US ambassador to El Salvador, Jean Manes, warned that as a result the country might ‘forfeit’, in a somewhat bitter irony, its entitlement to funding from the US government.End of preview - This article contains approximately 716 words.
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