BOGOTA (TrustLaw) - Guatemalan President Otto Perez has given the go-ahead to renew the mandate of a United Nations-backed commission against impunity in the Central American nation, the Prensa Libre national newspaper has reported.
Earlier this week, right-wing Perez met with the head of the International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG), Francisco Dall’Anese, to begin the renewal process, which would add two more years to the commission’s mandate due to end in September 2013.
Since its creation in 2007, the independent body has worked with Guatemalan investigators and police to prosecute high-profile criminals and untangle murky ties between clandestine armed groups and the country’s political elite and police force.
The commission’s investigations have exposed major corruption scandals and have led to the purge of over 2,000 corrupt police, including top police officials, an interior minister, and the arrest of Guatemala’s former president, Alfonso Portillo, who faced trial in 2010 for charges of embezzling public funds.
Earlier this month, following an investigation by the CICIG, former Guatemalan police chief and ex vice minister of justice, Marlene Blanco Lapola, was arrested for her alleged role in extra-judicial killings in 2009. She has denied the accusations.
Guatemala is struggling to stem rampant drug-fuelled violence and organised crime.
In a country with weak judiciary and institutions, the increasing presence of the Zetas and other drug cartels is said to have exacerbated the already widespread problem of political corruption and graft among the police force.
The commission said it needs $30 million in the next three years in order to continue its work in the country.
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