El Salvador court starts looking at ex-president’s wealth

SAN SALVADOR: An El Salvador court began proceedings Monday looking into the suspected illegal enrichment of former leftist president Mauricio Funes, his ex-wife and one of his sons.
Funes himself was absent from court, having sought asylum in Nicaragua for what he says is political persecution. He was represented by a lawyer.
Prosecutors allege that there is no justification for $729,000 in assets declared by Funes, who was in power 2009-2014.
His son Diego Funes had $118,600 in suspicious declared assets, and his ex-wife Vanda Pignato was under scrutiny for $57,000.
“We have presented sufficient documented and investigatory evidence, and there is no doubt whatsoever about the unjustified increase in the wealth of those involved in this case,” chief prosecutor Hector Martinez said.