UPDATE 1-U.S. adds top Guatemalan, Salvadoran officials to corruption list

(Updates with comment from Salvadoran president)

MEXICO CITY, Sept 20 (Reuters) – The United States said on Monday it had put Guatemala’s attorney general and five Salvadoran Supreme Court judges on a list of “undemocratic and corrupt” officials, in a sign of the Biden government’s frustration with Central American authorities.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced the move on Twitter, saying a top aide of Guatemalan Attorney General Consuelo Porras was also on the list, which adds to growing U.S. concerns about efforts to tackle graft in both countries.

El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele, who has a strained relationship with Washington, responded on Twitter saying: “It’s clear the list has NOTHING to do with “corruption”, it’s pure politics and the lowest kind of interference.”

Bukele questioned why no Salvadoran opposition figures were on the list, or anyone from the Honduran government.

“How strange,” he wrote.

Earlier this month, judges on El Salvador’s Supreme Court appointed by Bukele’s party ruled that the president can serve two consecutive terms, opening the door for him to stand for re-election in 2024, and sparking condemnation from Washington https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/el-salvador-top-court-rules-presidents-can-serve-two-consecutive-terms-2021-09-04. (Reporting by Mexico City newsroom Editing by Chris Reese)

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