Former El Salvador President Tony Saca Released from Prison

Tony Saca, aged 61, was released from prison after serving his full sentence for corruption, specifically for diverting and laundering more than $300 million from the state budget during his presidency from 2004 to 2009. His lawyer, Mario Machado, confirmed the release outside a courthouse, stating that Saca did not receive any early-release benefits.

Although Saca was sentenced in 2018, his prison term was backdated to 2016, the year he was arrested during his son’s wedding. A plea agreement allowed him to receive a reduced 10-year sentence instead of a potential 30-year term after he admitted to the charges.

Saca is one of four former Salvadoran presidents facing corruption charges, with others like Mauricio Funes and Salvador Sanchez Ceren fleeing to Nicaragua. Saca, who served as president under the conservative Nationalist Republican Alliance (ARENA), was expelled from the party and later attempted to return to the presidency in 2014 under the Grand Alliance for National Unity (GANA), but the Supreme Court ruled his candidacy unconstitutional.

He was also ordered to repay millions to the state in separate civil proceedings.