Guatemala’s attorney general was given a designation of significant corruption as an act of the United States to reaffirm its commitment to combating corruption.
Maria Consuelo Porras Argueta de Porres, was given the corruption designation due to her reported obstruction and undermining of anticorruption investigations in Guatemala to protect her political allies in exchange for political favor, according to a May 16 State Department release.
“Attorney General Porras’s corrupt acts undermine democracy in Guatemala,” Blinken said May 16 on Twitter. “Today’s designation sends a strong signal that the U.S. stands with all Guatemalans to encourage accountability, transparency and respect for the rule of law.”
Porras repeatedly ordered prosecutors in Guatemala's Public Ministry to ignore certain cases related to political considerations, the State Department release reported. She also reportedly fired prosecutors who investigated cases that involved acts of corruption.
The U.S. made the corruption designation when Guatemala’s president reappointed her for a second term May 16, Daily News Brief reported. Additionally, last year Porras was on a list drafted by the U.S government naming "corrupt and anti-democratic actors."
The designation was made under Section 7031(c) of the Department of State, Foreign Operations and Related Programs Appropriations Act of 2022, the State Department release reported. This designation also means Porras and her immediate family members are not allowed entry into the U.S. The U.S also designated her husband, Gilberto de Jesus Porres de Paz.
