Nayib Bukele

President Nayib Bukele has faced multiple corruption and criminal allegations throughout his tenure. A central investigation involves Alba Petróleos, a company funded by Venezuelan oil money; reports indicate Bukele and his family-owned companies allegedly received roughly $3.3 million from these funds. While a money-laundering investigation was opened in 2019, it was frozen after the Legislative Assembly removed the Attorney General and Supreme Court justices in 2021. Bukele has also been accused of negotiating with gangs (MS-13 and Barrio 18) to lower homicide rates in exchange for prison benefits and political support. The U.S. Department of the Treasury and various reports alleged that Bukele’s inner circle diverted government funds to gangs and obstructed U.S. extradition requests for gang leaders to prevent them from testifying about these pacts. Bukele has denied these allegations. Additionally, his administration has been criticized for human rights concerns during the ongoing state of emergency, including over 500 documented in-custody deaths since 2022 and allegations of mass trials lacking individual evidence. Transparency regarding these figures remains limited due to state-imposed information classification.