The claim was made at the event commemorating the 29th anniversary of the Peace Accords held by this sector in the Gerardo Barris Park known as Plaza Cívica.
Veterans of the Armed Forces and former combatants of the Farabundo Martí Front (FMLN) demanded this day in commemoration of the 29th anniversary of the Peace Accords that the government give them the $ 8.5 million for the payment of the pensions and social benefits of the more than 13,600 beneficiaries.
José Sants Melara, a representative of the former combatants in the armed conflict, said that the Ministry of Interior has “kidnapped” the Institute Administering the Benefits and Social Benefits of Military Veterans of the Armed Forces and Veterans of the Farabundo Martí Front for the National Liberation.
“The Interior Ministry does not want to leave the Institute free. Mario Durán has taken more than $ 8.5 million that he does not want to hand over,” Melara denounced in his speech for the 29th anniversary of the peace agreements that veterans and ex-combatants commemorated with an act in the park Gerardo Barris known like civic place in front of Metropolitan Cathedral.
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Melara said that they have already filed a complaint against Durán with the Attorney General’s Office to return this money, which he says belongs to veterans of the armed conflict.
“This money is from the veterans and we will not let it be stolen. Here is the money of the 13,640 colleagues who did not receive their pension all year. Here is the money of the 3,822 fellows who do not want to be paid the second “Here’s the money from the 1,300 comrades that Mr. President (Bukele) removed from the program run by the FISDL. Here’s the money that’s missing from the widows,” Melara said.
The veterans leader took advantage of the presence of deputies Maurici Vargas from the ARENA party and Nidia Díaz from the FMLN; to ask him to promote a reform so that the Institute no longer depends on the Ministry of Interior.
SEE ALSO: War veterans: “Nayib Bukele’s government is anti-veteran and wants us suffocated”
“Please release us from this bond that the Government has for us. The Institute is still kidnapped by the Government and we must free ourselves because the Institute is autonomous. We must ask permission from the Government for the Treasury to give us the money, ”Melara said.
He further denounced that the government intends to eliminate the Institute of Benefits and Social Benefits of Veterans and Ex-Combatants to create a Technical Secretariat.
“We have already seen how this president, apart from wanting to suffocate veterans with the budget, wants to destroy the Institute. He goes on to say that the president is going to destroy the Institute after February 28 and will create a technical secretary.” said Melara.
He then expressed in an exalted way: “We will not leave him, the Institute is for veterans and we are going to die for him. Not even the pandemic has stopped us much less will the president stop us.”
In January 2020, the Legislative Assembly reformed the Special Law to Regulate the Benefits and Social Benefits of Veterans and Ex-Combatants so that the Benefits Institute would operate independently and have budgetary autonomy.