07/25/2021 11:46 AM
Clarín.com
World
Updated 07/25/2021 12:47 PM
An
extraordinary scandal
is breaking out in one of the poorest countries in Central America.
A prosecutor in charge of preponderant causes of corruption in Guatemala, Juan Francisco Sandoval, and who was therefore dismissed by the government, had to flee the country to "protect his life," after stating that he was prevented from investigating President Alejandro Giammattei.
The ombudsman Jordán Rodas accompanied Sandoval to the border with El Salvador, "given
the tough decision to leave the country to protect his life
and integrity due to the recent events," the Guatemalan Human Rights Ombudsman (PDH) said on social media. The final destination of the former prosecutor is unknown and sources from Salvadoran humanitarian organizations indicate that he has already left that country.
This Produraduría is an autonomous institution created by Congress to promote respect for human rights and
monitor due process in legal cases
. Its resolutions are not binding. Sandoval led the Special Prosecutor's Office Against Impunity (FECI) and was dismissed on Friday by his boss, Attorney General Consuelo Porras, after denouncing a lack of support for his management. The measure provoked criticism from the US Foreign Ministry, which considered him an "anti-corruption champion", in addition to questions from humanitarian groups, social and business organizations.
The controversial Guatemalan government was quick to get rid of the scandal by rejecting any pressure action against the lawyer on Sunday.
"The Government of the Republic of Guatemala
categorically rejects the statements made by the lawyer Juan Francisco Sandova
l (who) made statements about alleged criminal acts, making direct or indirect mention of the President," said a government statement.
Sandoval said on Friday that his work at the Prosecutor's Office
encountered many obstacles, and that he was even asked not to investigate Giammattei
without the consent of the Attorney General.
The dismissal was announced in a statement from the Public Ministry, where it was stated that Sandoval's trust had been withdrawn.
This Saturday, some
1,000 Guatemalans expressed their support for the former official
and called for the resignation of the president and the Attorney General in the Plaza de la Central in front of the former seat of government in the capital. The protesters carried nationals and posters against the authorities.
The Acting Undersecretary for the Americas of the North American Foreign Ministry, Julie Chung with Juan González, representative for the White House region.
Dozens shaved their hair with a hairdresser who came to the plaza with his instruments as a sign of rejection of the president's statements that only "about 150 bald heads" (bald) came to demonstrate.
"We are not 150 bald men,
we ask the resignation of the disastrous prosecutor who is at the service of the president,"
said a university student on a loudspeaker, while criticizing the
president
, a doctor by profession, for the mismanagement of the new coronavirus pandemic the lack of vaccines and supplies in public hospitals.
"The dismissal of Juan Francisco Sandova
l is a setback for the rule of law in Guatemala
," Julie Chung, Acting Undersecretary for the Americas of the US Foreign Ministry, said on Twitter.
"It contributes to the perception of a systematic effort in Guatemala to
weaken those who fight corruption," he
added.
The United States even implemented a task force to support FECI.
The 1992 Nobel Peace Prize winner, the Guatemalan indigenous leader Rigoberta Menchú, rejected, condemned and showed her indignation "for this
new illegality and violation of the Constitution" of the country this Saturday.
Likewise, in a statement he requested the
restitution of the former prosecutor
and "resignation, trial and punishment of those who are responsible for violating the Constitution."
Map of Guatemala locating the Guatemalan capital - AFP / AFP
"Faced with this dilemma, there is no alternative but to convene and reiterate a call for the national unity of our peoples to a great convergence, civic and citizen alliance" committed to the
fight against corruption, he
declared.
In turn, the entities that make up the Center Against Impunity in North Central America (CCINOC), rejected the decision of the prosecutor Porras considering that it means "setbacks in the fight against corruption in the region."
The Office of the Prosecutor was created to work together with the International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala, an entity attached to the UN, to
combat corruption and impunity.
The Commission ceased to function in 2019 by decision of then-President Jimmy Morales, who ruled between 2016 and 2020, after being singled out by both entities for electoral corruption.
Together, these offices, the Prosecutor's Office and the Commission uncovered several cases of corruption, including a
fraud at customs
that ended with the resignation of President Otto Pérez (2012-2015) and his Vice President Roxana Baldetti, accused of leading the scam.
Both were arrested and are awaiting trial in prison.
Guatemala City, Jul 24, 2021 (AFP)
MC