A summary of the history behind the case can be found here.

September 28, 2024

CISPES calls for a fair and lawful trial in the case of former officials Mauricio Ramírez Landaverde and Ramon Roque

Three years after their arrest in 2021, the public hearing in the ASOCAMBIO case against Mauricio Ramírez Landaverde, former Minister of Justice and Public Security, and Ramon Roque, former inspector general of prisons under the government of Salvador Sánchez Cerén, is underway.

The accusations of embezzlement against them focus on the formation and management of a legally constituted fund for family members of persons deprived of liberty to deposit personal funds.

However, according to independent journalists in El Salvador covering the beginning of the public hearing, even the prosecution witnesses offered by the Attorney General's Office have reiterated that “no official had access to the accounts”, nor was there any detour of funds to personal accounts.

From its headquarters in Washington, DC, the Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador (CISPES) states:

“We are very much watching the case of the ex-officials, Mauricio Ramirez and Ramon Roque, who have already suffered grave injustices for their detention of more than two years, plus the 8 months they were kept incarcerated even with court orders for their freedom.

“Since the public hearing has begun, we expect a trial in accordance with the law and that their right to defense and other constitutional rights will be fully respected. We also expect the judges to act with the independence that is their right and duty.

“This is the only way to put an end to the political persecution that threatens all of society and threatens justice, freedom of expression and democratic participation.

“We stand in solidarity with the Committee of Relatives of Imprisoned and Politically Persecuted Persons of El Salvador -COFAPPES- who have made known the truth about this and other cases throughout these years, demonstrating the innocence of those prosecuted. We encourage them to continue forward."

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October 3, 2024

As ASOCAMBIO case comes to a close, CISPES reiterates call for a fair trial

Today, Thursday October 3, the public hearing in the ASOCAMBIO case is expected to close, in which Mauricio Ramírez Landaverde, former Minister of Justice and Public Security and Ramon Roque, former Inspector General of Prisons and 19 other defendants and their attorneys have made their statements against the State's accusations.

As an organization based in the United States and headquartered in Washington, D.C., the Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador is closely following the development of this case and the denouncements of irregularities that have been made throughout the process by the defendants, their lawyers, their families, and human rights organizations such as the Committee of Relatives of Politically Persecuted and Imprisoned People of El Salvador (COFAPPES).

With the closing of the final arguments, it is reported that the state did not prove the crimes for which they have kept Mauricio Landaverde and Ramón Roque imprisoned for almost three years, and we are aware of the cooperative attitude with which the defendants have faced the accusations, presenting themselves in front of the justice system and affirming their innocence.

Given the above, CISPES reiterates its call to the relevant representatives of the Salvadoran judicial system to act independently, in accordance with the law, and to take into account the presented evidence.

We also reiterate our solidarity with and appreciation for COFAPPES- who have worked tirelessly to make visible the serious irregularities and injustices in this and many other cases of political persecution that the world urgently needs to know about. We join their call to "public and international opinion to be vigilant and watchful" of the outcome of this judicial process with significant implications for justice, freedom of expression, and democratic participation in the country.

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