Because the Guatemalan authorities intensify a methodical, yearslong crackdown on officers who had been tasked with rooting out authorities corruption within the nation, the federal government introduced this week that it was investigating Colombia’s protection minister, who had led a United Nations-backed anticorruption physique that was energetic in Guatemala till 2019.
The announcement, which is straining bilateral relations between Guatemala and Colombia, got here alongside a number of arrest warrants and legal costs introduced in opposition to former prosecutors and judges who had labored with the identical anticorruption process power.
The developments have renewed issues in regards to the withering of Guatemala’s democracy and the rule of regulation, resulting in a flurry of condemnations from the USA, the European Union and the United Nations. Rights teams have criticized Guatemala’s authorities for intimidating varied officers concerned within the anticorruption process power; greater than 30 prosecutors and judges have fled the nation over the previous two years to evade arrest.
Colombia’s president, Gustavo Petro, defended Iván Velásquez, the protection minister of Colombia, on Tuesday and mentioned “sanity in politics” meant preventing corruption.
“Those that permit the mafia to take over the state solely lead society to genocide,” Mr. Petro mentioned on Twitter, clearly supposed as a barb in opposition to Guatemala’s president.
The present diplomatic discord started on Monday when the top of Guatemala’s Particular Prosecutor’s Workplace Towards Impunity, Rafael Curruchiche, mentioned that his crew would take “authorized actions” in opposition to Mr. Velásquez for “unlawful, arbitrary and abusive acts” when he led the anticorruption physique.
The allegations revolve round offers that former Guatemalan officers tried to dealer with Mr. Velásquez to share details about corruption circumstances in trade for lowered sentences — a reasonably commonplace course of that prosecutors make use of in authorized circumstances world wide.
Mr. Velásquez dismissed the investigation into his work as retaliation from these his process power had focused.
“We all know the monster, now we have seen it up shut and, from totally different trenches, now we have fought it. We all know the way it transforms and the strategies it makes use of, but it surely doesn’t frighten us,” Mr. Velásquez mentioned Monday on Twitter in regards to the costs issued from Mr. Curruchiche and the Guatemalan authorities.
From 2013 till 2019, Mr. Velásquez led the Worldwide Fee Towards Impunity in Guatemala, which labored with Guatemala’s lawyer basic to counter corruption. The U.N.-backed power drew international consideration in 2015 for investigations into high Guatemalan officers, together with the nation’s president on the time, Otto Pérez, who resigned and was subsequently arrested.
However in 2018, Guatemala’s then-president, Jimmy Morales, expelled Mr. Velásquez from Guatemala. He shut the anticorruption physique down the next yr.
On Monday, Mr. Curruchiche additionally introduced a number of arrest warrants in opposition to former investigators who had labored with the anticorruption physique, together with Thelma Aldana, Guatemala’s former lawyer basic.
Brian A. Nichols, the USA assistant secretary for the Western Hemisphere, denounced the most recent strikes by Guatemala’s authorities, tweeting on Tuesday that he was “disturbed” by the arrest warrants.
“Such actions weaken the rule of regulation and confidence in Guatemala’s judicial system,” Mr. Nichols mentioned.
Final yr Mr. Curruchiche was sanctioned by the U.S. authorities and accused of getting “knowingly engaged in acts that threaten democratic processes or establishments, engaged in vital corruption, or obstructed investigations.”
Mr. Curruchiche is barred from getting into the USA.
President Alejandro Giammattei of Guatemala informed a Colombian radio station on Friday that “variations between nations have to be resolved by way of diplomatic channels.” The president advised that his authorities would examine Mr. Velásquez however wouldn’t prosecute him due to the diplomatic immunity that protects him.
Mr. Giammattei abruptly ended the interview when he was requested in regards to the sanctions the USA authorities had slapped on Mr. Curruchiche final yr.
“I informed him that I used to be not going to the touch that matter anymore,” Mr. Giammattei mentioned in regards to the journalist, earlier than hanging up the telephone.
Widening their marketing campaign in opposition to dissent, Guatemalan officers on Thursday introduced costs in opposition to the attorneys representing José Ruben Zamora, a journalist who has extensively lined allegations of corruption involving Mr. Giammattei. On the time of his arrest, Mr. Zamora was additionally the president of one of many nation’s main newspapers, elPeriódico.
When authorities authorities arrested Mr. Zamora final yr, additionally they raided the newspaper’s places of work. Mr. Zamora was charged with cash laundering, blackmail and affect peddling. His attorneys have disputed these accusations.
Genevieve Glatsky contributed reporting.
