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In Guatemala, the crackdown continues against anti-corruption prosecutors. Former prosecutor Virginia Laparra was sentenced on Friday to four years in prison for ” abuse of authority “. Five judges from the special prosecutor’s office against impunity are currently in prison.
« This is a terrible precedent, because never again will a prosecutor dare to file a complaint “, told the press Virginia Laparra, the former anti-corruption prosecutor whom Amnesty International sees as a “ prisoner of conscience who pays a high price for her work ».
Thursday, December 15, during her final speech during her trial, she described the charges against her as ” vengeance from the Counterterrorism Foundation. This organization is known for having defended politicians accused of corruption, and police officers accused of crimes during the civil war.
Five judges arrested
Virginia Laparra has been in prison for ten months, but she is not the only one. In all, five judges from the special prosecution against impunity were arrested for obstruction. It is also the same for a former representative of the UN commission against impunity in Guatemala (Cicig), dissolved in 2019 by President Jimmy Morales – she had unearthed a scandal that had resulted in the resignation of her predecessor.
Since, ” revenge of the criminal alliance in Guatemala » set up one to have « revealed the corruption mechanism “Said former attorney general Thelma Aldana, a refugee in the United States. The United States, which has put current Attorney General Consuelo Porras on its list of ” corrupt actors for obstructing anti-corruption investigations to protect his political allies.
►Also read: In Guatemala, the main anti-corruption investigator leaves the country “to save his life”