Sandra Cuffe writes in El Faro about the find, in a wealthy gated community, in Antigua, Guatemala, of about USD $15M in both Guatemala Quetzals and US Dollars.
The search was carried out by FECI (Fiscalía Especializada Contra la Impunidad – Special Prosecutor Against Impunity).
Subsequently, at FECI’s request, a judge issued an arrest warrant for José Benito, Minister of Communications, Infrastructure and Housing during the administration of Jimmy Morales administration.
This is the same Jimmy Morales who campaigned on the motto, ‘Ni Corrupto Ni Ladrón‘ (Neither Corrupt Nor Thief), and yet half of his cabinet is currently under suspicion of corruption. Morales, of course, fled to the Central America Parliament (PARLACEN), after his term ended, where he currently enjoys immunity.
It should also be remembered that Morales was key in the CICIG mandate not being renewed, leading to a re-flourishing of corruption at the highest levels of Guatemala society.
The institutions representative of these elites have been working at undermining the work of FECI. Somewhat surprisingly, given their indifference to CICIG being removed, the US State Department has shown their support for FECI, to be subsequently rebuffed
You can read the full article here in El Faro.
An article, here, in Spanish on the Con Criterio website highlights those from the Morales administration suspected of corruption.
Categories: Corruption, Guatemala, Human Rights, Justice, Legal
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