Former El Salvador President Elias Antonio “Tony” Saca, who was jailed for embezzling public funds, was released on Thursday after completing a 10-year prison sentence, his lawyer said.
Saca, 61, was convicted of diverting and laundering more than $300 million from the state budget during his 2004–2009 administration.
His lawyer, Mario Machado, confirmed the release outside a courthouse, where he stood alongside the former president after formally notifying the court.
“The 10 years were completed,” Machado said, adding that Saca had served his full sentence without receiving any early-release benefits.
“We have come to the court to formally report the release. This was requested just yesterday,” he added.
Although Saca was sentenced in 2018, his prison term was backdated to 2016, when he was arrested during his son’s wedding.
A plea agreement enabled him to receive a reduced 10-year sentence instead of a possible 30-year term after he admitted diverting and laundering public funds.
Saca is among four former Salvadoran presidents who have faced corruption charges, although the others did not serve prison sentences.
Former presidents Mauricio Funes and Salvador Sanchez Ceren fled to Nicaragua, while Francisco Flores died before his trial could begin.
A businessman and radio broadcaster, Saca served as president under the conservative Nationalist Republican Alliance (ARENA).
After being expelled from the party, he attempted to return to the presidency in 2014 under the Grand Alliance for National Unity (GANA), but the Supreme Court ruled his candidacy unconstitutional.
Prosecutors had accused Saca of diverting state funds for personal use and to benefit political allies, including through payments to his party.
In separate civil proceedings, he was also ordered to repay millions of dollars to the state.
