Attacks on Guatemala's Anti-Corruption President Growing

[Judi Lynn]

by Alex Papadovassilakis
15 Aug 2024

The arrest of a cabinet member in Guatemala marks an ominous escalation of a spurious legal crusade aimed at derailing the administration of President Bernardo Arévalo, which has prioritized the country’s long standing fight against corruption and organized crime.

Ligia Hernández, head of the government’s victim advocacy institute, was arrested by Guatemalan police on August 13. She faces charges related to unreported campaign donations, part of a criminal investigation into Hernández and Arévalo’s political party, the Seed Movement (Movimiento Semilla). It comes amid a barrage of legal attacks on the Arévalo administration, led by Attorney General Consuelo Porras.

Hernández is the first member of Arévalo’s cabinet to be arrested as part of Porras’ legal crusade, which began last year and focuses on accusations of electoral fraud for which prosecutors have provided little coherent evidence. Arévalo and Semilla have dismissed the allegations as politically motivated.

In a video published on social media shortly before arrest, Hernández described the charges against her arrest as a “desperate attack” aimed at blocking efforts to reverse entrenched corruption. On August 14, authorities transferred Hernández to a military prison, where she awaits her initial hearing. Hernández’s arrest is the latest in a string of legal attacks that have rattled Semilla. These began shortly after Arévalo rocked Guatemala’s political apparatus – dominated by elite corruption networks – by sneaking into the August 2023 presidential run-off, which he won by a landslide.

Porras made repeated attempts to overturn the election results, her office’s campaign leading to the cancellation of Semilla’s legal status as party and exposing a string of senior officials – including the president and Semilla congress officials – to the threat of prosecution over highly-disputed claims of electoral fraud.

InSight Crime Analysis

Hernández’s arrest signals a new phase in a high-stakes legal battle between Porras and Arévalo. The outcome of this tussle could determine the trajectory of the administration’s anti-corruption plans, broadly focused on ousting compromised staff from key government institutions and exposing graft schemes linked to previous administrations, some of which implicate Porras’ allies.

More:
https://insightcrime.org/news/attacks-on-guatemalas-anti-corruption-president-growing/

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President Bernardo Arévalo, on the left, Attorney General Consuelo Porras

Porras has been a monster for years and years.







Attorney General Consuelo Porras







Oh, joy. She gets to execute someone.

[Judi Lynn]

1. Guatemala: Statement by the Spokesperson on the latest actions by the General Prosecutor's Office

22.08.2024 EEAS Press Team

The recent actions by the Guatemalan General Prosecutor’s Office (Ministerio Público), including its request to strip the democratically elected President Bernardo Arévalo of his immunity, are part of a broader and highly concerning pattern of politically motivated allegations and investigations targeting the current government.

The EU has repeatedly voiced its concern over the ongoing misuse and instrumentalisation of the justice system, particularly in the wake of the 2023 elections and ongoing efforts to overturn the will of the Guatemalan people.

The EU remains steadfast in its commitment to supporting democracy in Guatemala and remains vigilant against any actions that threaten democratic governance or further erode the rule of law. In this context, the EU recalls the restrictive measures it imposed this February against five individuals responsible for actions that undermine democracy, the rule of law, or the peaceful transfer of power in Guatemala.

https://www.eeas.europa.eu/eeas/guatemala-statement-spokesperson-latest-actions-general-prosecutor%E2%80%99s-office_en