Former El Salvador president to confess new crime

Former Salvadorean President Antonio Saca, imprisoned for embezzling US$301 million during his term, is confessing on Friday a bribe in exchange for a lesser sentence.

Saca, who was president for the right-wing Nationalist Republican Alliance party, agreed to a new abbreviated process with the Attorney General's Office and is making his confession before the Ninth Court of Instruction, which already sentenced him to 10 years in jail.

The founder of the ruling Great Alliance for National Unity party will confess that he paid about US$10,000 to an employee of the First Civil Chamber in exchange for information on his trial for illicit enrichment.

Judicial sources state that Saca negotiated two years in prison for confessing this crime, which would be added to the 10 years he is already serving in La Esperanza prison, better known as Mariona.

Former First Lady Ana Ligia de Saca also sought to confess the money laundering crime in exchange for passing the process free, but the Attorney General's Office requires him to return US$17 million and the defense denies he has them.

mh/iff/oda/cmv/gdc