Former Guatemalan Anti-Corruption Prosecutor Sentenced to Five Years in Prison: US, UN, and Amnesty International Condemn Case

Guatemalan Ex-Prosecutor Sentenced in ‘Politically Motivated’ Case

A former anti-corruption prosecutor in Guatemala, Virginia Laparra, has been sentenced to five years in prison or a fine in a case that has drawn criticism from the US, UN, and Amnesty International. Laparra, 44, was found guilty of disclosing confidential information, following two years of detention in another case that was widely denounced as politically motivated.

Laparra is one of several former prosecutors who have investigated corruption cases in Guatemala and have been arrested under the watch of Attorney General Consuelo Porras. Porras was sanctioned by the United States in 2021 for her alleged involvement in undermining democracy.

The court in Quetzaltenango sentenced Laparra to five years in prison and a fine of $6,400, but ruled that she could remain under house arrest if she pays a daily fee. Laparra was also disqualified from holding public office for 10 years.

Amnesty International has called Laparra a “prisoner of conscience” and criticized the sentencing as politically motivated persecution. The US State Department and the UN Human Rights Office in Guatemala have also expressed concerns about the lack of guarantees for justice operators in the country.

Guatemala has scored poorly on Transparency International’s scale of perceived public sector corruption, with President Bernardo Arevalo proposing legal reforms to remove Attorney General Porras from office.

The sentencing of Laparra has sparked outrage and calls for judicial authorities in Guatemala to stop targeting human rights and justice defenders. The case highlights the ongoing challenges of fighting corruption and upholding the rule of law in the country.