Hermes Cortés Salcedo

Investigative Journalist and Case File Analyst

Hermes Cortes Salcedo is an investigative journalist specializing in the scrutiny of judicial proceedings, the coverage of regulatory frameworks, and the analysis of the administration of justice in Latin America. His career is distinguished by a firm commitment to institutional oversight, examining legal case files, court rulings, and public records to accurately document the exercise of power.

At Foco Rojo, he is part of the investigative team tasked with untangling legal controversies and high-impact political cases. His journalistic approach prioritizes analytical sobriety, rigorous respect for due process, and the exhaustive cross-referencing of primary sources, providing citizens with a documented perspective free from partisan biases.

Lula da Silva: updates on the case in 2026, three years without judicial movement, what was closed by annulment and what by acquittal

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Lula da Silva is the only protagonist of this series whose case file has not seen a single new judicial decision in more than three years. The last act came on 18 February 2023. That day, Justice Ricardo Lewandowski closed the Lula Institute and Gripen fighter jet proceedings. Since then, the President of Brazil has … Read more about Lula da Silva: updates on the case in 2026, three years without judicial movement, what was closed by annulment and what by acquittal

Jorge Glas: Updates on the Case in 2026, the Appeal Against the 13-Year Sentence, the Inter-American Court, and Mexico’s Lawsuit, Which Remains Pending

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Jorge Glas has been in prison for more than two years since his arrest inside the Mexican embassy on April 5, 2024. His case currently has four active fronts. An appeal filed on March 12, 2026, against his 13-year sentence in the Manabí Reconstruction case. Provisional measures ordered by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, … Read more about Jorge Glas: Updates on the Case in 2026, the Appeal Against the 13-Year Sentence, the Inter-American Court, and Mexico’s Lawsuit, Which Remains Pending

Alejandro Sinibaldi: Five corruption cases, six years since his surrender, and no trial—what’s needed to close his case, and what’s holding it up?

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Alejandro Sinibaldi turned himself in to Guatemalan authorities on August 24, 2020, with at least eight arrest warrants outstanding. Six years later, none of his five cases has gone to trial. Nor has any resulted in an acquittal. The former communications minister lives in a legal limbo that Guatemalan courts repeatedly open and close. In … Read more about Alejandro Sinibaldi: Five corruption cases, six years since his surrender, and no trial—what’s needed to close his case, and what’s holding it up?

Pedro Pablo Kuczynski: The Never-Ending Westfield Trial, the IIRSA Norte Investigation That Has Yet to Lead to Charges, and the Case That Was Dismissed in 2026

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Pedro Pablo Kuczynski is 87 years old and faces two ongoing legal proceedings with no end in sight. The first is the trial regarding Westfield Capital, the company through which he billed Odebrecht while he was a minister. It began more than seven years after his preliminary detention in April 2019 and remains unresolved. The … Read more about Pedro Pablo Kuczynski: The Never-Ending Westfield Trial, the IIRSA Norte Investigation That Has Yet to Lead to Charges, and the Case That Was Dismissed in 2026

Ñoño Elías: The senator who was implicated by Otto Bula, who pleaded guilty three times and ultimately testified against the president of the ANI

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Bernardo Miguel Elías Vidal, known as “Ñoño,” has been on both sides of the dock in this series. First, he was the one implicated. In 2017, intermediary Otto Bula identified him as the senator who secured the addition of the Ocaña-Gamarra section for Odebrecht. Later, he became a witness. In May 2021, he testified in … Read more about Ñoño Elías: The senator who was implicated by Otto Bula, who pleaded guilty three times and ultimately testified against the president of the ANI

Otto Bula: The Witness Who Pinned the Odebrecht Case in Colombia, Whom He Named, What Convictions His Testimony Led To, and What Price He Paid for Cooperating

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Otto Bula is the most productive witness in this entire series. No other informant from the region has seen his testimony lead to so many final convictions. Arrested in January 2017, the former Liberal senator went from being an Odebrecht intermediary to the Colombian Attorney General’s Office’s primary source in just a few weeks. His … Read more about Otto Bula: The Witness Who Pinned the Odebrecht Case in Colombia, Whom He Named, What Convictions His Testimony Led To, and What Price He Paid for Cooperating

Carlos Pólit: Early Warning Signs of a Release from Prison—What If Miami Lets Him Go, and Why Ecuador Would Still Not Receive Payment

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Carlos Pólit has been in prison in Florida for ten years. The reason: laundering bribes from Odebrecht that he received while serving as Ecuador’s comptroller. On September 10, 2026, he requested—without a lawyer—to serve the remainder of his sentence under house arrest. He cites health reasons. That request is the reason for this early alert. … Read more about Carlos Pólit: Early Warning Signs of a Release from Prison—What If Miami Lets Him Go, and Why Ecuador Would Still Not Receive Payment