State Department sanctions 2 former Salvadoran leaders, dozens of officials in Central America

MEXICO CITY (AP) — The State Department says it’s imposing sanctions on two former Salvadoran presidents and dozens of other officials and judges in Central America. The announcement on Wednesday said that those sanctioned “have knowingly engaged in actions that undermine democratic processes or institutions, significant corruption or obstruction of investigations” into corruption in El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. The extensive list also includes heads of banks, judges and high ranking officials. It underscores the depth of corruption across the region. Corruption has been a hot button issue in Central America for years and is regularly cited as a root cause of migration to the United States.