WP: “Central American Bank for Economic Integration Funds Police Leading Government Criticism Detention and Torture”
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(Mexico City=YNAP) By Jaerim Lee = The Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI), a Multilateral Development Bank (MDB) established for regional development and economic integration in Central America, reportedly provided substantial funds to the Nicaraguan police who were at the forefront of crackdowns on anti-government figures, according to a report by The Washington Post on the 22nd local time.
CABEI provided loans totaling $2.65 billion (equivalent to KRW 3.6 trillion) for Nicaragua’s infrastructure investment and environmental protection projects from 2018 to 2022.
A significant portion of this amount was used by the Nicaraguan police to construct or renovate at least 19 police stations or precincts nationwide, upgrade wireless communication systems, and build data centers, as reported by The Washington Post.
According to government documents analyzed by The Washington Post, there were also bids for the purchase of buses and boats to ensure police deployment and enhance operational capabilities.
President Daniel Ortega (78), who has been in power since 2007 after abolishing term limits through constitutional amendments following his re-election, has been suppressing demands for his resignation since the anti-government protests in 2018.
Many opposition figures, activists, religious leaders, journalists, students, and others who had been strong critics of the government were fired upon, detained, and tortured, mostly by the Nicaraguan police and military.
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A former Nicaraguan police official who defected and sought asylum in Costa Rica after refusing to follow orders to kill protesters in 2018 recalled receiving better uniforms and more sophisticated weapons in the years leading up to 2018, showing a clear increase in police funding and capacity.
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Dante Mossi, the former President of CABEI who led the organization from 2018 to 2023, stated in a media interview in March that “It is not within the President’s authority to determine whether a country is democratic enough to receive loans from CABEI.”
While The Washington Post reported that Mossi was labeled as a “banker of dictators,” the current President, Helela Sánchez Maroto, opposed this view, emphasizing that they will review all loans approved in the past 10 years and actively implement new anti-corruption and human rights policies.
The founding member countries of CABEI are El Salvador, Nicaragua, Honduras, Costa Rica, and Guatemala.
Panama, the Dominican Republic, and Belize are non-founding member countries in the region, while Mexico, Spain, Argentina, Colombia, and Cuba are external member countries, each contributing in their own way.
South Korea and Taiwan are external member countries that operate cooperative lending programs through separate partnerships. The United States also has significant influence over the bank through alliances with member countries, as reported by The Washington Post.
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2024/08/23 01:50 Released