The Pacto de Corruptos: Guatemala’s Web of Impunity

In a shocking revelation, it has been exposed that Guatemala’s powerful elite, business leaders, and former military personnel formed a corrupt pact to undermine the International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG) and maintain impunity for their crimes.

The Backstory

• Morales’ presidency was backed by the National Convergence Front, a party founded and funded by ex-military personnel with connections to earlier crimes.
• The CICIG pursued a petty corruption case involving Morales’ son and brother, leading to their brief imprisonment. Despite admitting guilt, some members of wealthy families were charged with petty electoral financing crimes by the CICIG.

Undermining the CICIG

A coordinated public relations campaign was launched to undermine the CICIG in the press and on social media, led by Ricardo Méndez Ruiz and his organization, the Foundation Against Terrorism (FCT).

• The CICIG’s cases were disrupted, and its allies in the Attorney General’s Office were marginalized by the new attorney general, Consuelo Porras.
• Morales declared the Colombian Velásquez persona non grata and began to deny visas for the commission’s investigators.

The End of an Era

In August 2018, Morales declared that he would not renew CICIG’s mandate. On September 1, 2019, the CICIG packed the last of its boxes and left the country.

The Pacto de Corruptos Strikes Back

The corrupt pact has since moved from defense to offense, rallying behind Alejandro Giammattei to catapult him to the presidency in 2020. By 2021, the political establishment’s efforts to ensure impunity and persecute anyone who had assisted the CICIG began to take shape.

The Pacto de Corruptos is a powerful reminder of the corrupt forces that can undermine justice and accountability. It is crucial for Guatemalan citizens and international organizations to remain vigilant in their pursuit of truth, justice, and human rights.