The United States reported this Wednesday that it included 39 prominent politicians and officials of Central Americaincluding two former presidents of El Salvador, as well as numerous judges and senior officials from Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua, on his list of corrupt and undemocratic actors.

Among those pointed out by the US, Guatemalan Attorney Cynthia Monterrosowho accused journalist José Rubén Zamora Marroquín of blackmail, illegal connections and money laundering, for which he asked for a sentence of 40 years in prison.

The so-called Engel List also includes former presidents of El Salvador. Mauricio Funes (2009-2014) and Salvador Sanchez Seren (2014-2019); Guatemalan judges Fredy Raul Orellana Letona and Jimi Rodolfo Bremer Ramirez have already leaders of the Liberal Party of Honduras Alexander Lopez Orellana, Samuel Garcia Salgado and Yani Benjamin Rosenthal Hidalgo.

In addition, in Nicaragua, the State Department included in the list of the current Attorney General, Wendy Carolina Morales Urbina; Vice-Presidents of the Arling National Assembly Patricia Alonso Gómez and Gladys de los Ángeles Báez; and Judges Rosa Argentina Solis Davila and Ángela Davila Navarrete.

State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said in a statement that “this list identifies individuals who have knowingly taken actions that undermine democratic processes or institutionssignificant corruption or obstructed the investigation of such acts of corruption.”