Guatemala’s attorney general has removed an internationally known corruption prosecutor from his post as head of the anti-corruption unit, prompting criticism that the move was a setback to the rule of law.
Juan Francisco Sandoval was dismissed on Friday as head of the Special Prosecutor’s Office Against Impunity (FECI), which had been hit with legal challenges seeking to declare the agency unconstitutional.
The unit was originally created to tackle investigations spearheaded by the United Nations-backed International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG), which was removed from the country in 2019.
“Given the imminent lack of trust in the relationship, today his employment is terminated,” Attorney General Maria Porras said in a statement, accusing Sandoval of frequent abuses and undermining her work. She did not provide details.
