Erick Geovani Vega, a medical doctor and close collaborator of Nayib Bukele, has held leadership and representation roles within the business framework of Alba Petróleos de El Salvador. This conglomerate received millions in funding from Venezuelan oil cooperation and has since become linked to a business network currently amassing over US$19 million in assets, as per an investigation by El Faro.
Vega’s background within this structure is connected to José Luis Merino, known as Ramiro, a historical leader of the FMLN party who maintained strong ties with Venezuelan chavismo. Former leaders from the party cited by El Faro state that Vega began as Merino’s assistant after studying medicine in Cuba and gradually advanced within the companies associated with Alba Petróleos.
Merino was also a supporter of Bukele’s initial political ventures within the FMLN. Bukele ran for the mayoralty of Nuevo Cuscatlán in 2012 under the banner of this party, and his political rise coincided with a time when Alba Petróleos managed a significant business structure funded by resources from PDV Caribe and Petróleos de Venezuela (PDVSA).
Vega publicly presented himself in 2017 as the deputy manager of Alba Petróleos de El Salvador and was part of the board of directors of three companies within the conglomerate that received over US$69 million in funding. These resources were allocated to various projects, including Alba Alimentos, Precocidos de El Salvador, and the airline Veca, which later declared bankruptcy.
His participation also extended to the offshore structure of the conglomerate. Between September 2016 and November 2019, Vega was listed as the general and administrative attorney of APES Inc., a company registered in Panama and identified by El Faro as the primary offshore company for the Salvadoran ALBA enterprises. Vega claims that his roles in these companies were pro bono and he possessed termination documents from some firms indicating he did not receive a salary for his work.
The Alba Petróleos structure was later under investigation. In May 2019, the Anticorruption Unit of the Salvadoran Prosecutor’s Office raided the offices of 23 companies linked to the conglomerate as part of an investigation into suspected money laundering. That same year, a U.S. State Department report on corruption in the Northern Triangle named José Luis Merino and his brother Sigfredo Israel Merino Cabrera as beneficiaries of Alba Petróleos, linking them to the alleged diversion of over US$400 million through shell companies in Panama.
The Salvadoran investigation did not lead to formal charges. Following the dismissal of Attorney General Raúl Melara in May 2021, the ruling Assembly appointed Rodolfo Delgado as the new attorney general. Delgado previously worked for Alba Petróleos. The former head of the Anticorruption Unit Germán Arriaza later went into exile, and the unit he led was dismantled, according to the journalistic investigation.
From Alba Petróleos to Bukele’s Circle
The connection between Vega and Bukele dates back to the beginning of the president’s political career. Vega has been by Bukele’s side since his tenure as mayor of Nuevo Cuscatlán and later appeared in both official and private travels alongside the current Salvadoran president. In April 2019, for instance, he was part of the delegation accompanying Bukele, then the president-elect, to a meeting with Dominican President Danilo Medina. At that time, Vega was still listed as an attorney for APES Inc.
The relationship is also familial: Vega is Bukele’s compadre, and one of his sons is the president’s godchild. His family holds positions within the ruling party as well. His sister Cristy Asencio is the national women’s secretary for Nuevas Ideas and the national coordinator for Social Welfare, an office led by First Lady Gabriela Rodríguez.
The network extends to Salvador Antonio Gómez Góchez, Asencio’s husband, who chairs the Promoter Agency for Exports and Investments of El Salvador (Proesa) and currently serves as the presidential commissioner for Salvadorans abroad.
A Business Network Worth Over US$19 Million
Years after his involvement with the companies associated with Alba Petróleos, Vega is linked to a business structure with interests in pharmacies, construction, and other ventures.
He is the CEO of World Real Estate El Salvador, a company that manages Farmacias La Esperanza, whose assets grew from US$2,000 in 2017 to approximately US$1.26 million in 2026, according to commercial records cited by El Faro.
Vega is also on the payroll of Constru-services, a construction firm paying him a salary of US$10,000 per month, according to labor records from 2024 reviewed by the outlet. The company’s assets increased from US$4.68 million in 2018 to US$17.29 million in 2024.
Constru-services also has personal connections to Nuevas Ideas. Its legal representative, Xenia Lourdes Solano de Cordero, is the sister of Jenny del Carmen Solano Chávez, a substitute deputy for Christian Guevara, the head of the legislative faction of the ruling party. Another of her brothers, Herbert de Jesús Solano Argueta, holds a position within the electoral structure of Nuevas Ideas in San Salvador.
When combining the assets of Constru-services, World Real Estate El Salvador, and Beautiful Image— a company associated with the spa publicly promoted by Vega’s partner, Joseline Toledo— the business structure described by El Faro exceeds US$19 million.
El Faro attempted to obtain Erick Geovani Vega’s response on August 14, 2026, through messages sent to his phone and emails inquiring about his business and asset connections. According to the outlet, Vega had not replied by the time the investigation concluded.