SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador (AP) — Former El Salvador President Mauricio Funes, who spent the final years of his life in Nicaragua to avoid various criminal sentences, died late Tuesday. He was 65.
Nicaragua’s Health Ministry said in a statement that Funes had died of a serious chronic illness.
Funes governed El Salvador from 2009 to 2014. He lived his final nine years under the protection of Nicaragua President Daniel Ortega, whose government had given him citizenship, allowing him to avoid extradition.
Nicaragua's Foreign Affairs Ministry said that Funes' family had decided he would be buried in Nicaragua.
The former president had pending sentences in El Salvador for corruption and making deals with the country’s powerful street gangs that amounted to 28 years, but he never set foot in prison.
The journalist-turned-politician came to power with the Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front, the leftist party born of El Salvador’s civil war and a powerful national political force for three decades that was left with no seats in the Congress after last year’s election.
On Wednesday, his party said in a statement that “Mauricio Funes as an investigative journalist and incisive generator of public opinion, as well as in his time as president of the republic, enjoyed broad acceptance and support from the Salvadoran people and the international community.”
Current Labor Minister Rolando Castro said via X that Funes’ “skills and contributions to the country as a journalist are undeniable, just as are his mistakes in public office.”
Funes was born in San Salvador on Oct. 18, 1959. He worked as a teacher in Catholic schools, but later made his name as a war reporter and hosted a highly popular interview show that took on controversial topics. He interviewed multiple heads of state, worked at two television stations and was a correspondent for CNN from 1991 to 2007, winning multiple awards.
Then the FMLN came calling, offering to make him their candidate and he won the 2009 elections, defeating Rodrigo Ávila of the conservative National Republican Alliance, better known as Arena, that had governed the country since 1989.
Funes was a fresh face, not someone directly involved in the civil war as the party tried to remake itself with a less bellicose image.
At the time, Cardinal Gregorio Rosa Chávez praised Funes as “tenacious” and someone who wouldn’t shy away from El Salvador’s problems.
But by the time he left office, Funes was hounded by accusations of corruption. In 2016, he fled to Nicaragua. He always denied the accusations and said his troubles were all part of political persecution.
But he was tried in absentia six times and convicted in each one.
For one, Funes was sentenced in May 2023 to 14 years in prison for negotiating a truce with the gangs to lower the homicide rate during his administration in exchange for giving imprisoned gang leaders perks.
His last sentence came just last year in June. He was sentenced to eight years in prison for receiving an airplane as a kickback for awarding a construction contract for a bridge project. He was also being prosecuted for allegedly diverting some $351 million in government funds.
A number of former officials in his administration, as well as his ex-wife Vanda Pignato, his children and various former partners have also been prosecuted for corruption. His former security minister, David Munguía Payés, was sentenced to 18 years in prison for his role in negotiating the gang truce.
Despite Funes’ troubled presidency, the FMLN won again with President Salvador Sánchez Cerén who governed from 2014 to 2019. Sánchez Céren had been one of the five guerrilla commanders in the civil war.
In recent years, Funes and current El Salvador President Nayib Bukele frequently sparred on social platforms, trading insults. Bukele pushed prosecutions of the former president, especially for his negotiations with the gangs.
Bukele himself had been accused of negotiating with gang leaders, but vehemently denied that and later crushed the gangs in a yearslong all-out offensive.
FILE - Mauricio Funes, presidential candidate of the Farbundo Marti National Liberation Front party (FMLN), waves the victory sign to supporters during his victory speech in San Salvador, March 15, 2009. (AP Photo/Dario Lopez-Mills, File)
FILE - In this June 1, 2012 file photo, El Salvador's President Mauricio Funes stands in the National Assembly in San Salvador, El Salvador. Former El Salvador President Mauricio Funes, who spent the final years of his life in Nicaragua to avoid various criminal sentences, died late Tuesday. He was 65. (AP Photo/Luis Romero, File)
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Luka Doncic was the last starter introduced by the Los Angeles Lakers, an honor normally reserved for LeBron James. When Doncic jogged into the spotlight on a darkened court through a cordon of his new teammates, his new fans stood and roared while wearing thousands of gold T-shirts with his name and number.
Even a young superstar could feel the magnificence of the moment.
“I was a little nervous before,” Doncic said. “I (don’t remember) the last time I was nervous before the game. But once I stepped on the court again, it was fun. Just being out there, it felt amazing.”
Doncic's debut with the Lakers was brief and successful Monday night, but it piqued the anticipation of everybody involved for his days and years ahead in Los Angeles.
Doncic scored 14 points while playing just 23 minutes, immediately getting into the flow with James and his teammates during Los Angeles' 132-113 victory over the Utah Jazz. Doncic added five rebounds and four assists — none prettier than a three-quarter-court strike to James for a layup late in the first half.
Doncic was grateful to be playing basketball after nearly seven weeks of injury absence, and he was happy to begin to move past the upheaval in his life ever since the Dallas Mavericks shocked the sports world 10 days ago by trading their 25-year-old centerpiece and NBA scoring champion.
Doncic got multiple standing ovations from a Los Angeles crowd wearing thousands of No. 77 shirts, but his pregame introduction was something he’ll remember for a long time.
“Just the amount of cheering there was in the arena was absolutely unbelievable,” Doncic said. “That was my favorite part — and to play again.”
Doncic said James texted him in the morning and offered to do anything to help — and Doncic took him up on it by taking the final intro spot. They'll swap for the Lakers' next home game next week, Doncic said with a grin.
“Shows what kind of person he is,” Doncic said. “He let me have my moment.”
The Slovenian scorer’s first bucket was a 3-pointer in the opening minutes on his second shot. Doncic scored 11 points while Los Angeles streaked out to a 25-point halftime lead, and he sat down for good with 3:07 left in the third quarter with the Lakers far ahead in their sixth consecutive victory.
The game was Doncic's first since he strained his left calf on Christmas. After a full week to settle in Los Angeles and to return to full strength, Doncic joined James, Austin Reaves, Rui Hachimura and Jaxson Hayes as starters for the streaking Lakers, who had won 11 of 13 even before adding a five-time All-NBA selection to their lineup.
The Lakers have Doncic on a minutes restriction after his injury absence. His legs aren't quite there yet — he went 1 for 7 on 3-point attempts in his debut — but his playmaking immediately meshed with his new teammates.
Doncic’s first touch was an alley-oop assist to Hayes, and he hit his 3-pointer moments later. He was serenaded with “Luka! Luka!” chants at the first dead ball, and several times thereafter.
“I just think it could be a thing of beauty, the way we can manipulate the game on the offensive end and get what we want every single possession,” said Reaves, who scored 22 points. “Luka is one of the best passers in the world ... but yeah, I think it’s just the high-level IQ going along with pieces that really fit. (Doncic and James) can shoot the ball, pass the ball, and really play the right way.”
That crowd included Dirk Nowitzki, who overlapped with Doncic for one season in Dallas and served as his mentor. Doncic appeared to be the natural heir to the German Hall of Famer’s incredible run in Dallas — until current Mavericks general manager Nico Harrison decided otherwise.
Coach JJ Redick, who played alongside Doncic for 13 games in 2021 with the Mavericks, was pleased by Doncic's poise and patience in a landmark game.
“Knowing Luka, whether he will admit this or not, there was probably a little bit of nerves playing for the Lakers for the first time, and the anticipation that this building had,” Redick said. “I thought he handled it really well, and he played really well tonight. ... He didn’t make it about Luka. He made it about playing good basketball and playing Laker basketball.”
James returned from a one-game injury absence Monday when the Lakers began a home-and-home set with the Jazz heading into the All-Star break.
“I don’t see any world where those two playing together isn’t a good thing," Utah coach Will Hardy said. "Their processing speed mentally is incredible, and so I’m sure they’ll figure it out.”
Doncic had watched three straight Lakers victories from their bench since arriving in Los Angeles a week ago. Reaves scored a career-high 45 points to lead the Lakers past Indiana 124-117 on Saturday without Doncic or James, who sat out to rest his sore ankle.
Doncic began Monday by donating $500,000 to fire recovery efforts in his new community, making an immediate impression with his pledge to help with the damage caused by the rampant wildfires that devastated parts of Southern California last month — including Pacific Palisades, where Redick's home was lost.
“It's been so sad to see and learn more about the damage from the wildfires as I landed in LA,” Doncic wrote on his Luka Doncic Foundation's social media channels. "I can't believe it, and I feel for all the kids who lost their homes, schools and the places where they used to play with their friends.”
Doncic signed his note: “Your new neighbor.”
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/NBA
Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) shoots as Utah Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson (00) and guard Johnny Juzang defend during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Monday, Feb. 10, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) shoots as Utah Jazz guard Johnny Juzang defends during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Monday, Feb. 10, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James, left, passes as teammate guard Luka Doncic looks on during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Utah Jazz, Monday, Feb. 10, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic gestures as he comes back in during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Utah Jazz, Monday, Feb. 10, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic, center, walks onto the court before an NBA basketball game against the Utah Jazz, Monday, Feb. 10, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
A fan wears shirt with number of Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic as he watches him warm up before an NBA basketball game against the Utah Jazz, Monday, Feb. 10, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James warms up while wearing the number of guard Luka Doncic while additional T-shirts with Doncic's number are on seats prior to an NBA basketball game against the Utah Jazz, Monday, Feb. 10, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
T-shirts with Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic's number are seen played out on fan seats prior to an NBA basketball game between the Lakers and the Utah Jazz Monday, Feb. 10, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic warms up in front of rows of shirts with his jersey number before an NBA basketball game against the Utah Jazz, Monday, Feb. 10, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic warms up before an NBA basketball game against the Utah Jazz, Monday, Feb. 10, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic arrives before an NBA basketball game against the Utah Jazz, Monday, Feb. 10, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic warms up before an NBA basketball game against the Utah Jazz, Monday, Feb. 10, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Los Angeles Lakers' Luka Doncic, left, greets guard Austin Reaves prior to an NBA basketball game against the Indiana Pacers, Saturday, Feb. 8, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Los Angeles Lakers' LeBron James, left, and Luka Doncic talk during the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Indiana Pacers, Saturday, Feb. 8, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Mark J. Terrill)
Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic is introduced before an NBA basketball game against the Golden State Warriors, Thursday, Feb. 6, 2025, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Kevork Djansezian)