In October 2023, the El Faro digital newspaper alleged that Global Motors, S.A de C.V. secretly received 16 checks from the Banco Hipotecario amounting to US$118,143.23 from 2017 to 2019.

[12] Juan José Figueroa, a campaign advisor for Hugo Martínez of the Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front (FMLN), called Bukele and Nayib "liars and cowards" ("mentirosos y cobardes") for refusing to attend the debate.

[2] In their 2023 book The Oligarchs' Grip: Fusing Wealth and Power, David Lingelbach and Valentina Rodríguez Guerra described Bukele as Nayib's "chief of staff".

[18] In April 2020, Fabio Castillo, a former secretary of the FMLN, stated that Bukele is "the only one who can have influence [over Nayib]" ("el único que puede tener influencia [sobre Nayib]"), that he is "more intelligent than the president" ("más inteligente que el presidente"), and that he has "an incredible influence over the affairs of the state that [he] should not have" ("una influencia increíble en los asuntos del estado que no [debería] tener").

[2] On 6 December 2019, former Salvadoran President Mauricio Funes accused Bukele, deputy Guillermo Gallegos, Director of the National Civil Police Mauricio Arriaza Chicas, and Intelligence Director Peter Dumas of plotting an "illegal" ("ilegal") operation to capture him in Nicaragua and bring him back to El Salvador to face legal proceedings.

[2] He also negotiated with those same parties to approve the Quarantine Law which allowed the Armed Forces of El Salvador and the National Civil Police to arrest individuals who had violated the country's nationwide COVID-19 lockdown.

Bukele joined the virtual space, and when asked about what the opposition in the Legislative Assembly was arguing regarding the bill, he responded by stating "Just bullshit, I don’t know".

[24] On 18 April 2023, Bukele announced that YouTubers and other content creators would be allowed to obtain press credentials to cover sessions of the Legislative Assembly.

[33] In 2021, Attorney General Raúl Melara launched an investigation into Bukele, Yusef, and Ibrajim regarding allegations of arbitrary acts, document falsification, and embezzlement.

[34] The investigation, known as Operation Cathedral which alleged that the three were the leaders of a "complex network of corruption",[35] was suspended following Melara's removal by the Legislative Assembly and his subsequent replacement by Rodolfo Delgado.

[34] On 28 August 2022, Twitter user Luis Rivas was arrested by the National Civil Police for reporting that Bukele was with his girlfriend at a Salvadoran beach while accompanied by a heavy security detail.