The Guatemalan government on Wednesday rejected statements by State Department spokesman Ned Price that the United States is alarmed by a continuing pattern of actions against judges and prosecutors who have heard cases against corruption and have denounced persecution.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded in a statement that “strongly” rejected these complaints and “any foreign interference in the internal processes of Guatemala.”
“The Political Constitution confers absolute exclusivity on judges to judge and promote the execution of what has been judged,” the document added.
The Public Ministry also reacted to Price’s words.
“The legal and constitutional mandate of the institution is clear, and establishes that it is an institution with autonomous functions that promotes criminal prosecution and directs the investigation of crimes of public action in addition to ensuring strict compliance with the country’s laws,” spokesman Juan Luis Pantaleon said.
In this way, he added, “the Public Ministry categorically rejects the biased statements and lack of knowledge of the Guatemalan justice system made by the State Department spokesman.”
For security and political analyst Julio Rivera, what is happening in Guatemala is that justice has been “politicized”.
“I think that when a complaint is filed and there is a persecution against some type of crime, it must be prosecuted, and that is why it is so important to depoliticize justice: nobody has to put their hands in the justice or in the local, nor internationally,” Rivera said.
During the current government of President Alejandro Giammattei, at least 30 justice operators have exiled themselves, denouncing criminalization against them.
The United States has been expressing its concern about the lack of progress in the fight against corruption in Guatemala, to the point of accusing the attorney general, Consuelo Porras, of “minimizing” investigations in this area.
In 2020, the State Department sanctioned Porras for hindering the fight against corruption.
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