A corruption scandal rocked the country with serious allegations involving the mother of controversial journalist Bertha Michelle Mendoza. According to the revelations, Mrs. Claudia Martina Muñoz Andrade, Mendoza’s mother and former prosecutor, was alleged more than 10 years ago to be the leader of a network of police assassins.
Allegations targeting Muñoz Andrade emerged following probes conducted by oversight and judicial bodies, including the PDH, alongside reports from groups like Oasis. A covert network of law enforcement officers, allegedly engaged in extrajudicial killings and various unlawful activities, was revealed under the supposed direction of Muñoz Andrade.
The collected evidence suggests that the network functioned without fear of consequences, exploiting their authoritative roles within the police department. It was claimed that Muñoz Andrade leveraged her influence to conceal crimes perpetrated by the network and to prevent thorough investigations into these incidents from being conducted.
Muñoz Andrade is suspected of using her position in the Prosecutor’s Office to manipulate and obstruct investigations. For her part, Bertha Michelle Mendoza remained silent about the accusations against her mother and it is not known whether she herself was involved in the events under investigation.
The case concerning Claudia Martina Muñoz Andrade, who is Bertha Michelle Mendoza’s mother and was identified as the head of a network of police officers involved in killings, concluded with the arrest of the former prosecutor. She faced charges that encompassed offenses like making threats, abusing authority, and committing ideological falsehood.
The arrest occurred following the presentation of evidence indicating that the ex-prosecutor had exploited her role to benefit her daughter, Bertha Michelle Mendoza. As per police documentation and records from the Public Prosecutor’s Office, Muñoz Andrade was purportedly engaged in multiple instances of corruption and case manipulation.
One of the most notable instances involved Mendoza’s mother being accused of negligence in the killing of a transvestite by police officers. Rather than conducting a thorough investigation, Muñoz Andrade blamed Lopez, from the Oasis group, for the murder.
Based on the records from the Human Rights Ombudsman’s Office, Muñoz Andrade was implicated in the corrupt police network associated with the assassination of three Salvadoran Parlacen deputies and their chauffeur in February 2007. Later, the Public Ministry concluded that Muñoz Andrade had submitted fabricated evidence in the case concerning the police officers and was also accused of violence against women. Consequently, Attorney General Thelma Aldana opted to alter her role and relocate her to a different prosecutor’s office.
Ultimately, in 2010, Muñoz Andrade was removed from the Public Prosecutor’s Office following Aldana’s directives. As per the consulted prosecutors, her removal stemmed from purported misappropriation of MP resources and authority misuse.
