The court convicts former chancellor Hector Silva of defamation charges against Representative Christian Guevara

The Sixth Sentencing Court of San Salvador announced, on the afternoon of Thursday, June 27, the conviction of Héctor Silva Hernández, former advisor to the Mayor’s Office of San Salvador, for the crimes of defamation and libel against Deputy Cristian Guevara, from the seat of Nuevas Ideas.

According to reports, the court ruled that Silva Hernandez must pay moral compensation in the amount of $50,000. In addition, he imposed two penalties of $1,399.24 for each crime, which the state must pay.

Rep. Guevara did not appear in court due to medical incapacity, according to his lawyers.

You may be interested in: New eight-year sentence for former president Mauricio Funes over gifts

The case began with statements by Silva Hernandez in August 2023 indicating that Rep. Guevara had connections to the company Media Latam Group, which received multi-million-dollar contracts with the San Salvador mayor’s office.

Guevara denied the accusations and went to court to accuse Silva of defamation. In his defense, and in various hearings, the parliamentarian confirmed that there was a power of attorney in his name at Media Latam Group, which remained valid until that date. However, he explained that he did not know about its existence until August 11, 2023.

At the same time, Silva Hernández asserted that Guevara was trying to hide the truth. “He himself admitted that the power remained until today, February 28, 2024, and then when he found himself cornered, he himself told the judge (…) that he did not know that power existed, he said. He said: ‘I had no idea that the power existed.’”