January and February have seen a host of arrests based on investigations by the Guatemala Public Prosecutor’s Office and the Commission Against Impunity In Guatemala (CICIG for its initials in Spanish).
On January 20, arrests were made in the Construction and Corruption case, where the Brazilian construction company Odebrecht was found by the Public Prosecutor and CICIG to have bribed Alejandro Sinibaldi (former Minister of Communications), Manuel Baldizon (unsuccessful candidate in the 2016 presidential elections) and the private secretary to Roxanna Baldetti (former Vice President of Guatemala). When speaking about the ongoing investigation, Chief Public Prosecutor Thelma Aldana stated that everyone is under suspicion of having possibly received brides from Odebrecht. The company had a contract to repair the highway CA-2 West in Suchitepequez but it was left abandoned in November when accusations arose of corruption. Odebrecht has committed to paying the Guatemalan state US$17.9 million, the same amount paid in bribes, as reparations for their criminal acts.The company has been accused of corruption throughout Latin America.
On January 23rd, Member of Congress Arístides Crespo was arrested on charges of creating phantom positions. He lost his immunity in October when he was accused of irregular hiring while on the Board of Congress.
The following week, more arrests were made in the new Traffickers of Influences case; eight people were detained on January 25, including the former superintendent of Tax Administration, and the CEO of sugar producer Magdalena. The Public Prosecutor’s Office also began the process of repealing immunity against the current Vice President of Congress, Felipe Alejos and criminal court judge Adrián Rolando Rodríguez Arana. The Public Prosecutor’s Office and CICIG have found that the accused are part of a criminal structure which used political influence for contracts and to speed up the process of tax credits. In particular, Alejos is accused of offering “clients” (including sugar companies and gas companies) the speedy recovery of tax credits and paperwork with the national Tax Administration Office. However, he cannot face charges at this time until his immunity as a Member of Congress is revoked.
On Friday, January 26th, former Minister of Defense Williams Mansilla was arrested and accused of abuse of authority, graft and illicit enrichment for granting a Q50,000 bonus per month for nine months to Guatemalan president Jimmy Morales.
The following day, President Morales accepted the resignation of the Minister of the Interior Francisco Rivas, along with the first and second Vice Presidents, who had submitted letters of resignation in September when the president was attempting to remove Ivan Velasquez, president of the CICIG, from Guatemala. Before becoming Minister of the Interior, Rivas worked under Claudia Paz y Paz at the Public Prosecutor’s office and was supported by the United States Embassy to be named as Minister.
On February 13th, the police also arrested former president Alvaro Colom and nine former members of his cabinet for fraud involving a new bus system in Guatemala City known as the Transurbano.
All of these arrests are in the context of the election of the new Public Prosecutor. The selection committee began to meet in January with potential candidates asked to submit names by February 5. The committee will name six candidates, with President Jimmy Morales making the final decision on who will replace Thelma Aldana.
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