Washington: The United States said on Tuesday it paused several cooperation with Guatemala prosecutor after the previous week’s repellent from the head of the prosecution unit charged against corruption.
US State Department spokesman Jalina Porter told reporters on Tuesday that the United States stopped programmed work with the Ministry of Public, who was responsible for the prosecution of a criminal case.
Attorney General Guatemala Mary Porras issued an anti-graft Fighter Juan Francisco Sandoval from his position as Head of the Special Prosecutor’s Office against Impunity (FECI).
The office was originally made to handle investigations pioneered by the International Commission that was not supported by impunity in Guatemala (CICIG) but was overthrown from the country in 2019.
The United States is a vocal supporter of Sandoval’s work, which includes cases of investigations and litigation on former officials, President and business leader in Guatemala.
The Department of Foreign Affairs declared him “anti-corruption champion” in the February award.
The July 23 decision to remove Sandoval “in accordance with the pattern of behavior that shows a lack of commitment to the supremacy of the law and the judicial process and independent prosecution,” Porter said on Tuesday.
“As a result, we lost confidence in the Attorney General and his intention to cooperate with the US government and fight corruption in good faith,” Porter said.
The United States has been committed to helping Central American countries fighting impunity for high-level legal breakers.
In the past few months, Washington has revoked US visas from two senior judges in Guatemala at the suspicion of the graft and criticized the rejection of parliamentarians to vowed the judge of the corruption battle.
“We oversee carefully for any additional actions that will damage the rules of judicial or independence in Guatemala,” Porter warns.
The US paused several cooperation with Guatemala over Ouster of Anti-Graft Fighter
