El Salvador Supreme Court Freezes Former President Funes' Bank Accounts Amid Corruption Allegations

El Salvador ex-president Mauricio Funes' bank accounts are now inaccessible to the former leader after the country's Supreme Court ordered a freeze on all his personal accounts due to an unverified $700,000 deposit.

According to Tico Times, the El Salvador high court ordered Funes' accounts to be frozen because he was unable to verify where the huge amount came from.

The court further revealed that they are currently considering a possible "preventive seizure" order for the Salvadoran ex-president's other properties and assets in relation to the civil case filed against him.

Funes, a journalist-turned-politician who reigned over the Central American country between 2009 and 2014, is facing trial for a constitutional case filed against him during his final days as president.

The former president strongly denied the accusations, claiming that his lawyer already sent the necessary documents to prove to the court of his innocence, according to Reuters.

Furthermore, he declared that he is a victim of a "political vendetta" in relation to the embezzlement case filed during his administration against his predecessor, Francisco Flores, who died of a stroke while under house arrest last month.

In May 2014, Panam Post reported about Funes' final days, which have been stained by the pending case filed in El Salvador's Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court.

Citing the El Salvador media outlet El Faro, Panam Post revealed how Funes and his collaborators, a group called "Mauricio's Friends," benefitted from the "crony relationships" created under his reign.

According to the outlet, Mauricio's Friends was formed to help Funes gain power and to ultimately control the country by placing his allies in many valuable government positions.

Some of the pinpointed members of the group included Ada Luz Sigüenza Guzmán and Miguel Menéndez, who owns "Mecafé," a private business that was granted a loan from the state-run Banco Hipotecario or 'mortgage bank.'

Apparently, the loan given to Mecafé was used to form the firm Latin America Spas.

Through the firm, Mecafé purchased a house in a wealthy neighborhood in El Salvador at only a quarter of its actual market value.

Mecafé then bought another property -- a vacant lot in another rich neighborhood, where a luxurious mansion was constructed.

Amidst all of this, Funes planned to join the Central American Parliament (PARLACEN) as a congressman but failed due to the case filed against him.

According to Panam Post, the position would have granted the former Salvadoran leader immunity against cases such as the one he faces now.