Guatemala | Expelled anti-corruption lawyer leaves country to “save his life”

Mr. The Guatemalan Office of the Human Rights Ombudsman said that a mediator had arrived at the Salvador border with Santo following “a difficult decision to leave the country to save his life and integrity due to recent events”.

The former lawyer’s ultimate goal is unknown and evidence from Salvador’s humanitarian organizations shows he has already left the country.

Mr. Attorney General Consul Boras was fired on Friday by Santo as head of Guatemala’s Office of the Attorney General (FECI).

The prosecutor’s office justified the dismissal with the company’s “continued abuse and frequent violations” and Mr. Attempts to undermine “work, honesty and integrity”.^Me Borras.

The move drew criticism from the US State Department, calling Juan Francisco Santov “a champion in the fight against corruption”, as well as from many humanitarian organizations, members of civil society and businessmen.

Julie Chung, the head of the State Department for the United States, denounced it as a “significant setback to the rule of law.”

He added that the dismissal “triggered the appearance of a formal attempt to discredit those named in the fight against corruption in Guatemala.”

Mr Santoval said on Friday he had faced several obstacles in his work at the FECI and had been asked not to question President Alejandro Geomati without the Attorney General’s permission, a request the FECI had made “against autonomy and independence”.

The Anti-Corruption and Punishment Center (CCINOC) in North Central America has condemned a decision that could lead to “setbacks in the fight against corruption in the region.”

The FECI, which is affiliated with the government, is investigating large-scale corruption cases. He worked hand in hand with the International Commission against Punishment (CICIG) in Guatemala, which was created in 2006 by an agreement between the UN and Parliament, which exposed a number of scandals, but its decree was not renewed in 2019 by the former Guatemalan president, Jimmy Morales (2006) -2020).

One of his key revelations was the customs fraud that led to the resignation of then-President Otto Perez (2012-2015) in 2015, who was accused of leading a network of bribe-takers from merchants to evade tax officials.