President Bernardo summons Attorney General Consuelo
Guatemala City, 16 (EFE). –
The President of Guatemala, Bernardo Arévalo, sent a letter to the Attorney General, Consuelo Porras Argueta, summoning her after she tried to prevent his inauguration for months.
Arévalo, who took office early Monday morning, said Tuesday that he planned to send a letter to the attorney general.
Porras Argueta and the attorney general’s office tried to prevent Arévalo de León and his party, the Seed Movement, from taking office since July, when the current president won the runoff election.
Arévalo warned on Sept. 1, 2023 that Porras Argueta, along with other corrupt actors, was carrying out a coup against him.
Prosecutor cannot be dismissed
Under Guatemalan law, the only grounds for dismissal of the attorney general is conviction of a criminal offense.
Therefore, Arévalo does not have the power to fire Porras, but he warned last week that he would ask for her resignation.
The prosecutor has made few public appearances in recent years and has not commented on the inauguration of the new president.
Porras Argueta and the Public Ministry leadership have been sanctioned by the United States in recent years.
The Public Ministry has also been accused by various sectors of preventing criminal investigations against former presidents Alejandro Giammattei (2020-2024) and Jimmy Morales (2016-2020).
An eventful inauguration
The Guatemalan Congress experienced moments of tension on Sunday when the inauguration of Arévalo was delayed by a group of deputies from the outgoing Congress.
Around noon, several deputies from the Seed Movement, overwhelmed by the situation, forcibly opened the door, where parliamentarians linked to the Giammattei government were trying to delay the legal procedures of the new magistracy.
“Stop!” one of the new deputies, Jonathan Menkos, shouted as he entered the room after forcing open the door, while the other deputies tried to do the same at the other end.
“I am a man of peace and tranquility,” Menkos later explained, “but injustices, abuses, and corruption of public power will always find me ready to raise my voice,” he insisted.
The deputy, widely recognized within the party for his technical knowledge, will ask Congress for leave and will become Arévalo’s Minister of Finance.
jcm/mcd