Ibrajim Bukele
Ibrajim Bukele | |
|---|---|
| Born | Ibrajim Antonio Bukele Ortez 22 September 1989 El Salvador |
| Alma mater | Panamerican School |
| Occupation | Businessman |
| Organization(s) | Global Motors, S.A de C.V. |
| Father | Armando Bukele |
| Relatives | Nayib Bukele (brother) Karim Bukele (brother) Yusef Bukele (brother) |
Ibrajim Antonio Bukele Ortez (born 22 September 1989) is a Salvadoran businessman. He is a younger brother of and advisor to Nayib Bukele, the incumbent president of El Salvador.
Early life
[edit]Ibrajim Antonio Bukele Ortez was born on 22 September 1989 in El Salvador.[1] His father was Armando Bukele Kattán and his mother is Olga Marina Ortez. Ibrajim has a twin brother, Yusef, and has two older brothers, Nayib and Karim.[2]
Bukele graduated from the Panamerican School in San Salvador.[2]
Business ventures
[edit]Bukele became the CEO of Global Motors, S.A de C.V. (also known as Yamaha Motor El Salvador) on 20 July 2017, succeeding his brother Karim. In October 2023, the El Faro digital newspaper alleged that, from 2017 to 2019, the company secretly received 16 checks from the Banco Hipotecario amounting to US$118,143.23 which supposedly came then-President Salvador Sánchez Cerén's black budget.[3][4] Bukele became the president of NRA, S.A. de C.V. in 2018, succeeding Claudia Rodríguez de Guevara.[5]
Political career
[edit]In April 2020, Fabio Castillo, a former secretary of the Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front (FMLN), stated that Bukele had "an incredible influence over the affairs of the state that [he] should not have" ("una influencia increíble en los asuntos del estado que [él] no [debe] tener").[6]
In 2019, before Nayib assumed office as president of El Salvador, Bukele conducted 270 interviews for government positions regarding the economy and sent a list of candidates to Nayib for consideration. In 2020, Bukele was named by Nayib as the president of a committee tasked with managing US$2 billion of emergency COVID-19 refied funds.[2]
In August 2019, Bukele accompanied Minister of Foreign Affairs Alexandra Hill Tinoco on a diplomatic visit to Turkey where he met with the Foreign Economic Relations Board of Turkey.[2] In July 2022, Bukele met with Hong Sang Jo, the president of Samsung Latin America.[7]
In May and June 2021, Bukele and his twin brother Yusef met with foreign investors to discuss the possibility of introducing digital currency or cryptocurrency in El Salvador.[8] Shortly afterwards, on 9 June 2021, the Legislative Assembly voted to pass a bill to make bitcoin legal tender in El Salvador.[9]
Personal life
[edit]Bukele married Samantha on 19 November 2022.[10]
In 2021, Attorney General Raúl Melara launched an investigation into Bukele, Ibrajim, and Karim regarding allegations of arbitrary acts, document falsification, and embezzlement.[11] The investigation, known as Operation Cathedral which alleged the three of being the leaders of a "complex network of corruption",[12] was suspended following Melara's removal by the Legislative Assembly and his replacement by Rodolfo Delgado.[11]
References
[edit]- ^ Canizalez, Luis; Pérez, David Ernesto (19 November 2021). "Cómo los Bukele se Hicieron Millonarios" [How the Bukeles Became Millionaires]. Revista Elementos (in Spanish). Retrieved 23 October 2023.
- ^ a b c d Alvarado, Jimmy; Labrador, Gabriel; Arauz, Sergio (17 June 2020). "The Bukele Clan that Rules with Nayib". El Faro. Retrieved 23 October 2023.
- ^ Lingelbach, David; Rodríguez Guerra, Valentina (2023). The Oligarchs' Grip: Fusing Wealth and Power. Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG. ISBN 9783111029320. OCLC 1381184684. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
- ^ Lemus, Efren; Cáceres, Gabriela (31 October 2023). "Empresa de los Hermanos Bukele Recibió $118,143 de la Partida Secreta de Sánchez Cerén" [Bukele's Brothers' Company Received $118,143 from Sánchez Cerén's Secret Budget]. El Faro (in Spanish). Retrieved 1 November 2023.
- ^ Lemus, Efren; Cáceres, Gabriela (13 December 2023). "Bukele Recibió Pagos de Empresa Dirigida por Actual Delegada Presidencial Cuando Él Era Alcalde" [Bukele Received Payments from Company Led by the Current Presidential Designee When He Was Mayor]. El Faro (in Spanish). Retrieved 13 December 2023.
- ^ "Fabio Castillo: Los Hermanos del Presidente Tienen una Influencia en los Asuntos de Estado que no Deberían Tener" [Fabio Castillo: The Brothers of the President Have Influence in the Affairs of the State that They Should Not Have]. El Liberal (in Spanish). 30 April 2020. Retrieved 27 October 2023.
- ^ "Presidente de Samsung Latinoamérica se Reúne con Personeros del Gobierno Salvadoreño" [President of Samsung Latin America Meets with Salvadoran Government Officials]. El Mundo (in Spanish). 22 July 2022. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
- ^ Arauz, Sergio; Rauda, Nelson; Gressier, Roman (16 July 2021). "Bukele y Sus Hermanos Planean Emitir Colones Digitales" [Bukele and His Brothers Plan to Issue Digital Colónes]. El Faro (in Spanish). Retrieved 30 October 2023.
- ^ Benítez, Beatriz; Oliva, Xenia (10 June 2021). "Asamblea de Bukele Aprueba Ley Bitcoin sin Evaluar el Impacto en la Economía" [Bukele's Assembly Approves the Bitcoin Law Without Evaluating the Impact on the Economy]. Gato Encerrado (in Spanish). Retrieved 27 October 2023.
- ^ "Ibrajim and Samantha's Beautiful Wedding". Airline Ambassadors International. 20 November 2022. Retrieved 30 October 2023.
- ^ a b Urbina, Javier (30 December 2021). "Fiscalía Investigó a Hermanos de Nayib Bukele" [The Attorney General Investigated Nayib Bukele's Brothers]. La Prensa Gráfica (in Spanish). Retrieved 30 October 2023.
- ^ Alvarado, Jimmy (23 August 2022). "Salvadoran AG Buried Evidence of Corruption in Covid-19 Food Contracts Worth $22.7 Million". El Faro. Retrieved 3 November 2023.
