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SAN SALVADOR, September 1 (Reuters) – Salvadoran police briefly detained a digital expert on Wednesday who strongly criticized President Nayib Bukeles’ plan to make bitcoin legal tender, saying they were investigating the computer scientist for financial fraud.
Police detained Mario Gomez without an arrest warrant and the cryptocurrency commentator was taken away without being formally arrested, according to Gomez’s lawyer Otto Flores. He has since returned home.
It is not known why (Mario) was handcuffed … and taken away by police without knowing what he is accused of, Flores said, calling the detention arbitrary.
There was a heated debate in El Salvador over Bukeles’ plan to adopt bitcoin as legal tender on Tuesday, making the Central American country the first in the world to do so.
Salvadoran police said on Twitter that they were investigating Gomez for financial fraud offenses, linked to fake emails sent to numerous users of the banking system, where their account statements were compromised.
Such crimes were on the increase, police said, without further details.
Gomez had attended various virtual forums and was active on social media, opposing the introduction of bitcoin as a tender.
Critics say using bitcoin is risky given the volatility of cryptocurrencies and because it could be used to launder money.
On social media, some have presented Gomez’s arrest as another example of the Bukeles government using authoritarian tactics against its opponents. Despite this, Bukele is extremely popular in opinion polls.
The presidency did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Reuters. (Reporting by Nelson Renteria, written by Drazen Jorgic; editing by David Gregorio)
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