Anti-corruption Guatemalan judge resigns and flees to the US
2 years, 9 months ago

Anti-corruption Guatemalan judge resigns and flees to the US

Associated Press  

GUATEMALA CITY — A Guatemalan judge considered key in fighting corruption announced her resignation on Monday and that she has decided to leave the Central American country. Judge Erika Aifán has presided over corruption cases against businessmen, officials, judges and lawmakers, and she was recently overseeing an investigation about alleged irregularities during current President Alejandro Giammattei’s campaign. Aifán is the latest case of other Guatemalan judges and prosecutors who have left the country in recent months after the government had started investigations or even looking to arrest those who oversee corruption cases. Aifán said she had felt particular pressure from Guatemalan Attorney General Consuelo Porras, whose visa was canceled by the U.S. government because of corruption concerns.

Corruption Guatemalan Judges  flees  resigns  judge  left  president  anticorruption  prosecutors  giammatteis  office  guatemalan  judges  corruption  investigation  recent

History of this topic

U.S. bars ex-Guatemala President Alejandro Giammattei from entry 3 days after he left office
11 months, 1 week ago

U.S. bars ex-Guatemala President Alejandro Giammattei from entry 3 days after he left office

The Hindu  

The U.S. State Department barred former Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei from entering the United States, accusing him Wednesday of “significant corruption” three days after he left office. The Biden administration had become increasingly critical of Mr. Giammattei’s administration as Guatemalan prosecutors sought to head off Sunday's inauguration of new President Bernardo Arévalo, who has vowed to crack down on corruption. …

Why is the Guatemala attorney general going after the new president?
11 months, 1 week ago

Why is the Guatemala attorney general going after the new president?

Associated Press  

GUATEMALA CITY — Despite having the support of millions of Guatemalans, newly installed President Bernardo Arévalo has a clear obstacle — the attorney general’s office and its leader, Consuelo Porras. A demonstrator holds up a protest poster of Attorney General Consuelo Porras outside her office during a rally in support of the electoral process in Guatemala City, July 14, 2023. …

U.S. bars ex-Guatemala president from entry, three days after he left office
11 months, 1 week ago

U.S. bars ex-Guatemala president from entry, three days after he left office

LA Times  

The State Department barred former Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei from entry into the U.S., citing “significant corruption.” The U.S. State Department barred former Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei from entry into the United States on Wednesday — three days after he left office — citing “significant corruption.” The Biden administration had become increasingly critical of Giammattei’s administration as Guatemalan prosecutors pursued …

Guatemala arrests former U.N. anticorruption commission representative
1 year, 3 months ago

Guatemala arrests former U.N. anticorruption commission representative

LA Times  

Guatemalan prosecutors on Monday arrested the former representative of a United Nations-backed anticorruption commission that was expelled from the country several years ago. The arrest of Claudia González is the latest chapter in the government’s systematic pursuit of those who worked with the U.N. anticorruption mission, best known by its Spanish initials CICIG. World & Nation Guatemala is expelling entire …

Candidate who lost Guatemala’s presidential election files complaint alleging voter fraud
1 year, 3 months ago

Candidate who lost Guatemala’s presidential election files complaint alleging voter fraud

Associated Press  

GUATEMALA CITY — The party of former first lady Sandra Torres, who lost Guatemala’s presidential election this week, filed a complaint Friday alleging fraud in the way the votes were counted. While the Supreme Electoral Tribunal recognized progressive Bernardo Arévalo of the Seed Movement party as the virtual winner with a significant lead over Torres, final results have yet to …

Biden administration warns Guatemala against rejecting democracy in presidential election
1 year, 4 months ago

Biden administration warns Guatemala against rejecting democracy in presidential election

LA Times  

Supporters wait for Sandra Torres, presidential candidate of the UNE party, during a campaign rally in Chimaltenango, Guatemala, on Sunday. Biden administration officials are working intently to prevent the Guatemalan government, one of their few allies in Central America, from overturning election results that put a leftist in next week’s presidential runoff — to the dismay of right-wing elites in …

US sanctions Guatemalan officials over ‘undemocratic’ activity
1 year, 5 months ago

US sanctions Guatemalan officials over ‘undemocratic’ activity

Al Jazeera  

The United States government has slapped sanctions on 10 Guatemalan officials, including several accused of undermining democracy and targeting journalists, as the country contends with an ongoing electoral crisis. An election in crisis The report amplifies existing concerns over Guatemala’s fragile democracy, which has faced scrutiny in recent weeks as the country prepares for the second round of voting in …

Guatemala journalist goes on trial in money laundering case
1 year, 7 months ago

Guatemala journalist goes on trial in money laundering case

Associated Press  

GUATEMALA CITY — The president of a Guatemalan investigative newspaper went on trial Tuesday on money laundering charges in a case media observers have criticized as politically motivated. The Guatemalan Association of Journalists and human rights activists have called the case a politically motivated campaign against Zamora because of his anti-corruption efforts. “The trial is a setback not only for …

Judge orders investigation of Guatemalan journalists
1 year, 9 months ago

Judge orders investigation of Guatemalan journalists

Associated Press  

GUATEMALA CITY — A Guatemalan judge ordered the investigation Tuesday of nine journalists from a newspaper whose president, a prominent government critic, has already been jailed on various charges since last year. Judge Jimi Bremer said that to find out whether the journalists from El Periodico newspaper were maliciously pursuing prosecutors, judges and other members of Guatemala’s justice system, thereby …

Another anti-graft figure leaves top post in Guatemala
2 years, 4 months ago

Another anti-graft figure leaves top post in Guatemala

Associated Press  

GUATEMALA CITY — One of the last remaining official pillars of Guatemala’s effort to root out corruption leaves his post this week, following the ouster or departure of a series of other anti-graft campaigners who had shaken the Central American nation’s governing class. His repeated court efforts to block government actions so irked then-President Jimmy Morales that he dubbed Rodas …

Guatemalan journalist calls charges against him a ‘set-up’
2 years, 4 months ago

Guatemalan journalist calls charges against him a ‘set-up’

Associated Press  

GUATEMALA CITY — A prominent Guatemalan journalist’s initial hearing before a judge was suspended Wednesday when the judge announced that the defendant’s lawyers were also targets of the government’s investigation. Following the hearing, José Rubén Zamora, president of the newspaper El Periodico, said that the case “is a set-up effectively designed and mounted by the president, attorney general and other …

Guatemala court blocks anti-corruption agreement
2 years, 5 months ago

Guatemala court blocks anti-corruption agreement

Associated Press  

GUATEMALA CITY — A Guatemalan court has tossed out an agreement that made it easier to prosecute bribery involving the Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht — a ruling that favors a former cabinet official accused of corruption. The appeals court annulled an agreement under which Odebrecht had promised to give Guatemalan anti-corruption prosecutors information about bribes it had paid in Guatemala …

He’s one of Guatemala’s last independent judges. Will he be forced to flee too?
2 years, 6 months ago

He’s one of Guatemala’s last independent judges. Will he be forced to flee too?

LA Times  

As a judge who has worked for more than a decade in the fight against corruption here, Miguel Ángel Gálvez has taken on some of Guatemala’s most powerful people. Last month, after Gálvez ordered nine retired military and police officers to be tried for torture, murder and forced disappearance during Guatemala’s three-decade-long civil war, threats started pouring in. Gálvez serves …

Guatemala files more charges against ex-prosecutor
3 years ago

Guatemala files more charges against ex-prosecutor

Associated Press  

GUATEMALA CITY — Prosecutors in Guatemala said Tuesday they have filed more charges against a former anti-corruption prosecutor who fled to the United States in July. The charges against Juan Francisco Sandoval appear to be the latest round in attempts by the government to interfere with anti-corruption efforts. Prosecutors said the charges of abuse of authority, fraud and conspiracy relate …

Guatemala’s former anti-corruption prosecutor faces arrest
3 years, 3 months ago

Guatemala’s former anti-corruption prosecutor faces arrest

Associated Press  

GUATEMALA CITY — Guatemalan officials confirmed Friday they are trying to arrest a fired anti-corruption prosecutor whose ouster led the United States to reduce cooperation with the Central American nation’s legal system. The arrest warrant for Juan Francisco Sandoval was confirmed by the spokesman for the prosecutor’s office, Juan Luis Pantaleón, a day after Attorney General Consuelo Porras said on …

Probe begins into alleged bribe involving Guatemala’s president
3 years, 3 months ago

Probe begins into alleged bribe involving Guatemala’s president

Al Jazeera  

Prosecutors in Guatemala have begun an investigation into allegations that Russian businessmen paid a bribe to President Alejandro Giammattei to obtain a dock in one of the country’s main ports, the attorney general’s office said on Friday. Juan Luis Pantaleon, spokesman for the Guatemalan attorney general’s office, said anti-corruption prosecutors had opened the probe, underlining that Giammattei was not currently …

Guatemala draws fire for new anti-corruption prosecutor
3 years, 4 months ago

Guatemala draws fire for new anti-corruption prosecutor

Associated Press  

GUATEMALA CITY — Guatemala named a new anti-corruption prosecutor Tuesday, two weeks after the previous one was fired and fled the country, citing fears for his safety. His appointment seemed unlikely to quell international criticism or calm street protests against corruption following the departure of former anti-corruption prosecutor Juan Francisco Sandoval. “Moreover, he has a history of not being an …

Guatemala appoints controversial new anti-corruption prosecutor
3 years, 4 months ago

Guatemala appoints controversial new anti-corruption prosecutor

Al Jazeera  

Move comes after sacking of former anti-corruption prosecutor spurred mass protests and international criticism. Guatemala’s attorney general, under fire for sacking the country’s top anti-corruption prosecutor last month, has appointed a controversial new figure to take up the post. Sandoval led the Guatemalan Special Prosecutor’s Office Against Impunity, created to tackle investigations spearheaded by the United Nations-backed International Commission Against …

Guatemalans protest president, attorney general
3 years, 4 months ago

Guatemalans protest president, attorney general

Associated Press  

GUATEMALA CITY — Thousands of Guatemalans took to the streets in protest Thursday, blocking highways and calling for a national strike over the government’s apparent unwillingness to tackle corruption. Pressure has been building since Attorney General Consuelo Porras fired anti-corruption special prosecutor Juan Francisco Sandoval on July 23. In response, the United States government this week said that it had …

Guatemalan protesters demand resignation of President Giammattei
3 years, 4 months ago

Guatemalan protesters demand resignation of President Giammattei

Al Jazeera  

Indigenous demonstrators are calling for the president and the attorney general to step down as government corruption increases. San Lucas Sacatepequez, Guatemala – Tens of thousands of Guatemalans took to the street to demand the resignation of the country’s president and attorney general due to the administration’s lack of willingness to address corruption. “The decisions they make do not favour …

Guatemalan anti-corruption prosecutor flees country after sacking
3 years, 5 months ago

Guatemalan anti-corruption prosecutor flees country after sacking

Al Jazeera  

Juan Francisco Sandoval fled early on Saturday after being dismissed in a move that sparked international condemnation. Guatemalan anti-corruption prosecutor Juan Francisco Sandoval fled the country early on Saturday, hours after being sacked in a move that sparked international outrage. Attorney General Porras’s firing of anti-corruption champion Juan Francisco Sandoval is an outrageous move. “Attorney General Porras’s firing of anti-corruption …

Discover Related