Guatemala
The SCJ rejected a request for impeachment against Attorney General María Consuelo Porras
The full court ruled on the complaint filed by the Executive against the chief prosecutor six months after it was submitted.
President Bernardo Arévalo and Attorney General María Consuelo Porras during a meeting in January of this year. Photograph: EFE.
At the plenary session of the Supreme Court of Justice (SCJ) held on Wednesday, August 28, a first preliminary hearing was heard against the Attorney General of the Public Ministry (MP), María Consuelo Porras. The complaint was unanimously rejected by the authorities of the Judicial Branch (OJ).
The crime that the Executive Branch attributed to Porras, the Attorney General, was the charge of dereliction of duty, for not attending a cabinet meeting focused on security issues to which the president, Bernardo Arévalo, had extended an invitation.
The complaint against Consuelo Porras was heard by the magistrates six months after the presidential authorities filed the complaint. A second preliminary hearing, which was also filed by the Executive against the head of the MP, is still pending analysis.
A judicial source, who preferred not to be named, confirmed that the decision was unanimous by the 13 judges of the CSJ. Among the arguments put forward was that when analyzing the file they considered the complaint to be “spurious and illegitimate.”
The Guatemalan presidency and the MP have been the protagonists of a series of public clashes between their top authorities. These accusations have become more frequent in recent weeks between the two authorities.
Bernardo Arévalo accuses the Attorney General of being an actor in favor of corruption. While Consuelo Porras accuses the president of trying to block investigations against the political party that brought him to the presidency.
The Executive could try to reactivate the impeachment against Porras by means of an amparo action to the Constitutional Court (CC). That is, if the analysis of his legal team so recommends.
The SCJ rejected the first request for impeachment against the Attorney General of the @MPguatemalaMaría Consuelo Porras. This complaint was filed in February of this year by the president @BArevalodeLeon@prensa_libre@Guatevision_tv pic.twitter.com/wlEASxiekR
— Douglas Cuevas (@dcuevas_gtv) August 29, 2024
#SCJ #rejected #request #impeachment #Attorney #General #María #Consuelo #Porras
