Guatemalan justice ordered the arrest of Iván Velásquez and Luz Adriana Camargo

Guatemalan justice ordered the arrest of Colombia's ambassador to the Vatican, Iván Velásquez , and Attorney General Luz Adriana Camargo on Monday after they were accused of corruption in the Odebrecht case.

Likewise, Interpol requested the activation of an international red alert for the crimes of illicit association, influence peddling, obstruction of justice, and collusion. It is worth mentioning that both men served on the International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala.

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Rafael Curruchiche, head of the Feci ( Federal Investigation Unit), confirmed that a defiance of the law and an arrest warrant were issued against Aldana Hernández, former attorney general of Guatemala, and Mayra Johana Véliz López, former secretary general of the Public Ministry.

Also joining this list are Juan Pablo Carrasco de Groot, former president of the Guatemalan-American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham Guatemala); Luis David Gaitán Arana, former head of the CICIG; and former Feci prosecutors Rudy Manolo Herrera Lemus and Ami Mayra Lissed Girón Rodas.

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" These individuals can be apprehended in any country ," Curruchiche said in a statement shared by the Guatemalan Public Ministry.

The Central American country's justice system stated that " the criminal structure, headed by former CICIG commissioner Iván Velásquez Gómez, favored businessmen from the construction company Odebrecht and caused the State of Guatemala to lose more than Q3 billion ."

The signs

In 2023, the Guatemalan Public Prosecutor's Office announced the initiation of legal proceedings against Velásquez for her work at the CICIG between 2013 and 2017. The same was true of Camargo, who was an investigator of corruption schemes in that country.

At that time, Velásquez, former Minister of Defense of the current National Government, was accused of giving the green light to anomalous cooperation agreements with two senior Brazilian officials of the construction company Odebrecht .

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Regarding the accusations, the Colombian ambassador to the Vatican stated: " I am assured that the work carried out in the Central American country was carried out with complete transparency and within the legal framework that protects the CICIG ."

He added: " My commitment to transparency, justice, and the fight against impunity has been and will continue to be the hallmark of my work as a public servant and now as Minister of National Defense (a position I held at the time) ."

Luz Adriana Camargo is currently under scrutiny by authorities after apparent contradictions in the processing of the opportunity principle requested by Sandra Ortiz , former presidential advisor and key witness in the corruption case at the National Unit for Disaster Risk Management (UNGRD) .

PORTFOLIO

*With information from EL TIEMPO