SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador (AP) — A court in El Salvador has found former President Mauricio Funes and his son guilty of illicit enrichment and ordered them to pay back $420,000 to the state in a civil judgment that does not contemplate any prison time.
The court ruled Tuesday that Funes and his son were unable to justify the origin of the funds and barred both from holding public office for 10 years. Former first lady Vanda Pignato was absolved of any guilt in the case.
Funes denied embezzling money from the state and tweeted that they would appeal what he called an "unjust and arbitrary" ruling.
The 58-year-old Funes was president from 2009 to 2014. Both he and son Carlos Mauricio Funes are in Nicaragua, where they were granted asylum.