Ortega shutters Nicaragua’s Private Bank Association and another 16 NGOs

The Ministry of the Interior (MIGOB) annulled the first 17 Non-Profit Organizations of 2023, thus continuing its repressive wave against civil society. With this recent annulment, the Ortega regime has closed 3,199 organizations since the end of December 2018 to date.

Among the organizations that had their legal status annulled are the Association of Private Banks of Nicaragua (ASOBANP), which they accuse of non-compliance with national legislation for having its board of directors expired and not reporting its financial statements.

“In non-compliance, they did not report their financial statements for the period 2020-2021, their board of directors has expired since 03-04-2020,” states the ministerial decree signed by the Minister of the Interior, Maria Amelia Coronel and published this February 3 in the Gazette, official newspaper.

ASOBANP states on its webpage that it was founded on June 23, 1993, and on April 12, 1994, its legal status as a non-profit civil organization was granted. They also indicate that on July 29, 1994, the Association of Private Banks of Nicaragua was registered in the Registry of Associations of the Department of Registry and Control of Associations of the Ministry of the Interior of Nicaragua.

They define themselves as “a civic, apolitical, non-profit organization that brings together all of Nicaragua’s private sector banks and facilitates the exchange of ideas and experiences of common interest, shaping criteria for a constant improvement in the conditions of the banking environment and strengthening reciprocal relations between the government and the private sector.”

The president of ASOBANP is Carlos Arguello Robelo, manager of the Banco de la Producción (BANPRO). The vice-presidency is held by Juan Carlos Sanson Caldera, of Banco de America Central (BAC) and the treasurer is Marco Antonio Lopez of Banco Ficohsa.

Other members of the board of directors are Jaime Altamirano of Banco de Finanzas; Alejandro Alfonso Ramirez of Banco LaFise Bancentro, and Ana Celina Gallardo, of Banco Avanz.

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MINGOB’s main argument for the annulment is that these non-profits failed to comply with national legislation for not reporting their financial statements.

The other organizations annulled

The other organizations annulled are Asociación Casa Xalteva, Fundación AMARTE, Asociación de Jubilados del Departamento de León (Asojudel), Asociación Centroamericana de Criadores de Caballos de Raza Iberoamericano (Iberonic), and the Asociación de Comerciantes del Mercado Central (Acomercen).

They also left without legal status the Asociación Nicaragüense de Abogados y Notarios (Anayn), Asociación para el desarrollo de Santo Tomás del Norte (Asodesn), Asociación de enfermos de insuficiencia renal crónica Nueva Esperanza (Asociación Adedircne), Fundación Amor Abundante (FAA), and the Asociación de alcaldesas de Nicaragua.

Other organizations annulled are the Asociación Fondo Histórico Documental de la Música Nicaragüense (Fonmunic), Asociación Dimensiones del Desarrollo (Dides), Asociación de Desmovilizados del S.M.P. de Nicaragua Esperanza y Reconciliación, Asociación Civil Cihualcoalt para el Desarrollo Integral Socio Económico (Asocideis), el Club Veinte-Treinta de Managua, and Fundación Isla (FIS).

The crusade against organized civil society has prompted the closure of NGOs that worked in the defense of human rights, the environment, women’s and children’s rights, local and sustainable development, health, education, providing humanitarian assistance and caring for vulnerable sectors through charitable works.

This article was originally published in Spanish in Confidencial and translated by Havana Times