He digital medium The Lighthouse denounced that the Government of Nayib Bukele The personal property of two partners of Trípode SA de CV, the company that created the newspaper, was seized in what it described as a new escalation of “fiscal persecution” against the media and independent journalism in El Salvador.
According to El Faro, whose administrative and legal structure It has operated from Costa Rica since 2023. Between February and April 2026, funds from a bank account and a property belonging to two shareholders of the company were frozen. The media pointed out that the measure corresponds to a “preventive note”, used as a guarantee against possible tax debts derived from audits promoted by the Ministry of Finance.
El Faro points out tax persecution
The middle maintained that the case began in 2020, when Bukele said on national television that El Faro was being investigated for money laundering. According to the publication, the Ministry of Finance opened four audits against Trípode SA de CV and, by not supporting that accusation, changed the accusation to tax evasion.
El Faro assures that it appealed each conclusion of the Treasury and that there is still no final ruling in the four audits. Despite this, he denounced that the authorities proceeded against personal assets of shareholders.
Cejil warns of attempt to control critical voices
Claudia Paz y Paz, director for Central America and Mexico of the Center for Justice and International Lawstated that these actions represent “an attempt to control the voices” that publish critical information about the Salvadoran Executive.
At the same conference, Carlos Dada, director of El Faro, linked the measure with the publication of the documentary The deal: Trump, Bukele and the gangs of El Salvadorproduced by Frontline and El Faro, about alleged pacts between the Salvadoran Government and gangs.
“Threats and defamations by officials against this medium and its journalists are a constant to the point of publicly accusing us of crimes without presenting any evidence,” says Oscar Martínez, editor-in-chief of El Faro. pic.twitter.com/ijgdheSEBb
— El Faro (@_elfaro_) May 7, 2026
Government does not respond to the accusations
Until now, neither Bukele nor the Salvadoran Government have officially commented on the complaint. El Faro also indicated that it has not received notification from the authorities about the intervention of the assets.
The case occurs in a context of complaints due to pressure against journalists in El Salvador. The Association of Journalists of El Salvador reported 43 journalists displaced until June 2025, while a subsequent report cited by EFE raised the number of communicators “pushed into exile” during 2025 to 53.
🚨Between February and April 2026, the Nayib Bukele regime froze money from a bank account and a property belonging to two partners of Trípode SA de CV, the company that created El Faro.https://t.co/Ou7hz5Y4oD pic.twitter.com/vhnzjJuXB2
— El Faro (@_elfaro_) May 7, 2026
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