Prosecutor asks Constitutional Court for approval to investigate Guatemalan president

Guatemala’s Attorney General Consuelo Porras has asked the Constitutional Court (CC) to allow her to criminally prosecute President Bernardo Arévalo for allegedly taking political and financial measures against the institution she heads.

Porras also believes that, with the criticisms that Arévalo and other government officials make of her management, she is promoting violence against her and officials of her institution, and attacks against her physical integrity and against her life; however, there are no reports that something like this has occurred. The prosecutor formed a group of armed guards to supposedly protect her and the institution.

Porras’ new action comes after the government reported that the prosecutor’s office seized the electoral register containing sensitive data on nearly 10 million Guatemalans eligible to vote, including name, address, telephone number and political affiliation.

The prosecutor and several of her employees maintain a constant affront against Arévalo and his government that began from the moment he was recognized as one of the two candidates who would compete for the presidency in 2023, and which Arévalo finally won in the elections.

Since then, the prosecution has raided polling stations, filed requests to remove immunity from electoral magistrates and the president himself, as well as taken action against members of the political party Movimiento Semilla with which Arévalo won the presidency. It has also taken action against electoral workers and some 150,000 citizens who participated in the polling stations receiving, safeguarding and counting the votes, on various charges, including alleged fraud.

Arévalo has denounced that the attorney general refuses to investigate acts of the administration of former President Alejandro Giammattei, who appointed Porras to the post. The government has filed more than 100 complaints against the previous government for corruption.

In response to the prosecutor’s actions, Arévalo also asked Congress to modify the law to allow him to remove her from office. Porras has been sanctioned by at least 40 countries that accuse her of obstructing the fight against corruption and undermining democracy in the country. The prosecutor has refuted the accusations.

Last week, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights visited the country and recommended an in-depth independent review of the Public Prosecutor’s Office and offered its technical support in response to allegations of criminalization of justice operators, judges, prosecutors, human rights defenders and journalists.