In April, months before El Salvador announced it would withdraw from the Central American Parliament (Parlacen), calling it a hotbed of corrupt politicians, then-president Carlos René Hernández and two colleagues from the Salvadoran ruling party, Nuevas Ideas, engulfed an official mission to Morocco in a bribery scandal. A Special Ethics Commission of Parlacen later sanctioned Hernández for distributing cash and luxury gifts outside the bounds of official protocol. In return, other Parlacen representatives report that Hernández asked the group for support for the Moroccan stance toward Western Sahara in its conflict with Algeria.
The events took place during Holy Week in 2025, when a delegation of 16 people —including deputies, administrative staff, and advisors— traveled first class on a transatlantic flight to tour the Kingdom of Morocco. Although the delegation from all the countries represented in Parlacen already had institutional travel allowances approved, Carlos René Hernández, head of the delegation, also provided “support” in cash, ranging from $2,000 to $7,000 U.S. dollars per head.
In interviews with the Commission, the parliamentarians reported receiving luxury brand accessories, private jet travel, cash gifts of up to $7,000, and preferential treatment in exchange for political support for Morocco. El Faro reviewed a summary of the Parlacen Ethics Commission’s inquiry and 20 excerpts from the Commission’s interviews, as well as videos of the deputies socializing in bars they described as “VIP”. El Faro also had access to the final report establishing the internal rules that had been violated.
Their report found that Carlos Hernández violated Article 3, which bans “requiring or accepting objects of value or gifts” and “performing acts or omissions aimed at obtaining illicit benefits.” The Ethics Commission also found that the Nuevas Ideas parliamentarian committed serious offenses in Article 14: “Actions or omissions that violate the integrity and principles of the Integration System.” They recommended a “verbal warning and suspension from office and emoluments (payments) for six months.”
But in practice, the Parliament imposed discreet sanctions. Fourteen representatives received a verbal warning, and Carlos Hernández was fined $500 and suspended from receiving institutional allowances for six months. The final report of the Ethics Commission states: “These amounts [distributed among deputies] are not recorded in any Parlacen account or administrative document, as confirmed by the interviewees themselves.”
The Commission tried to obtain Representative Hernández’s version of events, but he avoided appearing or even responding. The final report notes: “Despite efforts made via WhatsApp and telephone, it was not possible to obtain an interview with Representative Hernández. The receipt of messages sent by the Commission’s Acting Secretary was verified, but no response was obtained through that channel, nor was any written communication sent through official channels. This lack of cooperation limited the possibility of expanding on the details, which is expressly noted given that Representative Hernández's statement is also not available.”
El Faro sought to interview Hernández. “I'm not going to talk about that,” he replied by phone.
The Moroccan Gifts
El Faro spoke in person with one of the deputies who made the trip, Jorge Jiménez, from Honduras, who described the actions of the Parlacen president as “scandalous” and recounted how he found out about the distribution during the trip. A colleague told him: “The president gave me $2,000 in exchange for not voting for Algeria.”
Jiménez explains that there are different ideological currents within Parlacen, which is why there was internal turmoil. “The president wanted us to come out with a statement supporting the Kingdom of Morocco on the issue of the Sahara Desert. I told him, ‘I don't agree.’”
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The deputy confirms that, in addition to the money, some of his colleagues received Arab lotions valued at $750 and Louis Vuitton scarves. Representative Yiseel Beatriz Barahona, of Nuevas Ideas, stated to the Ethics Commission: “The envelope (with money) was accompanied by luxury items, including a Louis Vuitton handbag, scarves, and lotion.”
The special treatment was evident, according to Jiménez, in the transportation: “We traveled from the desert to the city of Layún on a VIP flight chartered by Morocco, outside of the originally approved official tour.” Jiménez says he refused to give his political support and was removed from the main group.
“Most of the deputies interviewed stated that they received cash at the end of a working day, in addition to the per diem allowances granted by the Central American Parliament,” the Ethics Commission report concludes. “Several deputies pointed to deputy Carlos René Hernández Castillo, who was President of Parliament during the trip, as responsible for the distribution.”
The Ethic Commission probe also revealed that Morocco allegedly offered Hernández $200,000 to block Algeria’s entry as an observer member of Parlacen. The accusations against Carlos Hernández were not limited to the trip to Morocco. He was also accused of requesting additional days of per diem on other trips, accumulating $49,000 in per diem expenses through September, in addition to his $10,000 monthly salary.
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Nuevas Ideas promoted Hernández to president of Parlacen by Nuevas Ideas after a short political career. According to his resumé, he is a lawyer and notary who entered public office in 2019 as legal manager of the General Directorate of Migration and Foreign Affairs. He was also a member of the Civil Service Commission on behalf of the Legislative Assembly. Before entering politics, he was an analyst and trainer at Cobro, S.A. de C.V.
The Western Sahara Conflict
In Western Sahara, a historic international conflict, Morocco promotes a plan for autonomy under its sovereignty, controlling the territory by offering incentives to the inhabitants of the disputed area. On the other hand, Algeria supports the Polisario Front’s demand for a referendum on self-determination for the Sahrawi people based on U.N. resolutions. Morocco has launched an intense diplomatic campaign to prevent what it calls “Algerian interference.”
According to Jiménez, the president of Parlacen met with his colleagues “in secret” during the official mission to present them with a draft statement in favor of Morocco and against Algeria on Western Sahara, insisting on the importance of Parlacen’s institutional support.
Panamanian deputy Carlos Rodolfo Outten confirmed this before the Ethics Commission, stating that he received a sealed envelope containing around $7,000 between U.S. dollars and Moroccan currency, an amount that varied for other colleagues who received $2,000, $4,000, or $5,000. According to Outten, Carlos Hernández delivered the envelope in the hotel lobby, calling it “a gift from the Moroccan authorities, as a courtesy for being special guests,” and to “buy some things in Morocco.” Outten stated that he did not see any Moroccans present.
Outten told the Ethics Commission that he refused and did not travel with the delegation that had made public statements on behalf of Parlacen in favor of Morocco. He told the Commission that “these events occurred after receiving the money,” which led him to conclude that “the envelopes were linked to a political objective.”
There is evidence of political support in Moroccan press releases: “Parlacen reaffirms its support for the autonomy initiative as a ‘realistic solution’ to the regional dispute over the Moroccan Sahara,” says a press release dated April 17. This was a prelude to more formal support published in June 2025, when Parlacen approved a resolution endorsing the Moroccan autonomy plan for Western Sahara.
The resolution was passed in San Salvador, according to a report in Diario La Huella, a pro-government newspaper founded by Parlacen deputy Cecilia Rivera, another member of Nuevas Ideas who was on the official mission. Rivera was questioned by the Commission about the allegations of cash delivery, and about the presence on the trip of her own husband.
According to another Parlacen deputy from El Salvador consulted by El Faro, who only agreed to speak anonymously, Cecilia Rivera is a kind of second-in-command, holding the position of Secretary of Parlacen. According to Rivera’s resumé, she has a law degree, sits on the board of the Fund for the Protection of the Disabled and Handicapped as a Result of the Armed Conflict (Foprolyd), and is editor-in-chief of Diario La Huella. Her partner —who is also part of La Huella, according to the Salvadoran deputy consulted by this media outlet— “was taking photos, which is how he justified his trip around Morocco, as a photographer.”
El Faro called the deputy to ask for her version of events, but she did not answer.
The alleged bribery scandal has caused a rift in Parlacen’s internal relations, mainly because the Legislative Assembly in El Salvador, controlled by Nuevas Ideas, approved a reform to withdraw from the regional body. El Salvador criticized it as a safe haven for corrupt former Central American leaders, who avoid corruption charges under Parlacen immunity from prosecution.
“If something doesn't work, then it’s removed. We dismantled a model of corruption. But, let me tell you, corruption also exists in other countries. They created Parlacen for their corrupt politicians,” said Nuevas Ideas deputy Geovanny Zaldaña on July 31, announcing El Salvador’s withdrawal. That same afternoon, Hernández, the president of Parlacen for Nuevas Ideas, requested salary advances for two of his colleagues and himself, and collected $14,650.
“Besides, they haven’t left,” explains the Honduran representative, Jorge Jiménez. “They keep coming, but they keep a low profile.”