Guatemala requests extradition from the United States of former prosecutor Juan Francisco Sandoval

Do they systematically persecute Guatemalan prosecutors and judges?

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(CNN Spanish) --

The Government of Guatemala requested the extradition from the United States of the former special prosecutor against impunity Juan Francisco Sandoval, the spokesman for the Guatemalan Public Ministry, Juan Luis Pantaleón, informed CNN on Friday.

According to Pantaleon, a judge accepted the request after the institution's Specialized Unit for International Affairs requested the extradition of the former official for his "possible participation in the commission of the crimes of abuse of denial of justice, influence peddling and hindering the criminal action".

The Court will now forward the petition to the Supreme Court of Justice, who will carry out the respective procedures with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to make the request for extradition to the United States effective, the spokesperson explained to CNN.

At the moment, an estimated time for this petition to be finally sent by the Guatemalan government to the US is unknown, said Pantaleon, although he assured that now "it is only a formality."

• Guatemalan Public Ministry issues arrest warrant against former head of the Special Prosecutor's Office Against Impunity, Juan Francisco Sandoval

CNN tries to communicate with the Supreme Court to find out when the extradition request to the Foreign Ministry could be formalized.

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CNN is also trying to get comment from Sandoval, who lives on US soil.

This Friday, the former official posted on Twitter that "the crimes that they invent for me are not in the extradition treaty between Guatemala and the US."

A protester holds a portrait of the ousted Guatemalan Special Prosecutor against Impunity, Juan Francisco Sandoval, during a protest to demand the resignation of Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei and Guatemalan Attorney General María Consuelo Porras, in front of the Public Ministry headquarters in Guatemala City on July 24, 2021. Credit: JOHAN ORDONEZ/AFP via Getty Images

Given these comments, Pantaleon told CNN that "in his publication he mentions the extradition treaty between Guatemala and the United States dating from 1903," although he does not take into account other subsequent legal instruments in which -according to the spokesperson- they do apply.

There are four arrest warrants for Sandoval that were issued after he was removed from office in July 2021 by Attorney General Consuelo Porras.

According to the Guatemalan authorities, Porras's decision was then due to alleged "insults" by the now former official against the attorney general herself.

• This is what Juan Francisco Sandoval says about Curruchiche in charge of the FECI in Guatemala and the accusations of Porras

The ex-prosecutor has classified these accusations as a persecution of justice operators in Guatemala and when he was fired, he accused the attorney general of having obstructed several cases that could involve high-ranking officials of the current government, Congress, and courts in Guatemala.

The Public Ministry has denied Sandoval's accusations against Attorney General Porras.

At the time, Sandoval's removal was strongly criticized by the United States government and by organizations such as Human Rights Watch.

In July 2021, Julie Chung, the US Acting Assistant Secretary for Western Hemisphere Affairs, said on Twitter that the removal "is a significant setback to the rule of law. It contributes to the perception of a systematic effort to undermine those known to be who fight against corruption.

She also said that Sandoval's safety must be protected and that "it is essential that the FECI remains intact and empowered to ensure the fight against corruption in Guatemala.