Former official of the UN Anti-Mafia Commission arrested in Guatemala
The police arrested the former official of UN Anti-Mafia Commission in Guatemala, adding to the growing list of detained or exiled former justice operators.
The arrest of Claudia González was coordinated by the Internal Affairs Prosecutor’s Office and the National Civil Police, as announced on social media platform X.
González suggested her arrest might be related to a 2017 case against a magistrate accused of influencing a judge in a corruption case involving her son.
González, 56, criticized her arrest as criminalization, harassment, and unnecessary legal persecution by the Public Prosecutor’s Office.
The Prosecutor’s Office is campaigning against former justice operators and has opened a money laundering case against newspaper owner José Rubén Zamora.
Zamora, who investigated corruption cases, was sentenced to six years in prison in May.
The Prosecutor’s Office, led by Consuelo Porras, faced criticism for meddling in recent elections by investigating the Seed party and its candidate, Bernardo Arévalo.
Despite the investigation, Arévalo, a social-democratic candidate, won the presidential runoff on August 20.
Porras, labeled as “corrupt” by the US in 2021, accused most former prosecutors, including González, of abuse of authority.
González participated in investigations by the CICIG, a UN-backed entity that dismantled state corruption networks from 2007 to 2019.
González currently defends former anti-mafia prosecutor Virginia Laparra, sentenced to four years for abuse of authority in a trial criticized by the US and EU.
She flso represents ex-prosecutor Juan Francisco Sandoval, exiled since 2021 after being dismissed by Porras, who reported raids on his and González’s houses.
Luis Almagro, Secretary-General of the Organization of American States, condemned these actions.
Juan Pappier of Human Rights Watch said Porras aims to ensure impunity in corruption cases and seek revenge.
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