Corruption Map in Guatemala

Harrassment against judges and prosecutors

The case of Erika Aifan and the burden of the corrupt system
 Cases under control of judge Erika Aifán

Key designations by U.S. authorities:

1. Engel List (Section 353 List of Corrupt and Undemocratic Actors in
As a result of the progress made in the
investigation into acts of corruption linked
Caso Construcción – Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras)
to Alejandro Sinibaldi and his associates, Corrupción 2. Torres List (Section 7019 List of Corrupt Officials in Guatemala,
new lines of investigation emerged that led El Salvador and Honduras).
Corruption case presented in 2017 on
to other high-impact court cases. millionaire bribes paid by Guatemalan
3. OFAC Designations
construction companies to the then Minister 4. Global Magnitsky Designations
This great judicial investigation is known of Infrastructure, Alejandro Sinibaldi. 5. Awaiting extradition to the U.S. on drug chargers
as “La Multicausa" 6. CConvicted in the U.S. on drug chargers
C-01073-2016-
00359
“Multicausa”
Fase II Caso MCN / Caso Caso “Red de
“Financiamiento FCN” “Odebrecht” Corrupción y Poder”

Caso Fuga Gustavo Caso Comisiones

Alejos Paralelas 2020
 La Multicausa: the Anti-corruption tornado
Sentenced Awaiting trial
Key designations by U.S. authorities: • Juan Luis Tejada Argueta. • Otto Vinicio Samayoa Soria.

1. Engel List (Section 353 List of Corrupt and Undemocratic Caso Construcción – • José Luis Agüero Urruela.
• Raúl Eduardo Alvarado Cuevas.
•
•
José Guillermo Samayoa Soria.
Jaime Ramón Aparicio Mejía.
Actors in Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras)
2. Torres List (Section 7019 List of Corrupt Officials in
Corrupción • Pedro Luis Rocco Arrivillaga.
• Allen Robert Krebs Wickfors.
•
•
Elder Rumualdo Vásquez Quevedo.
José Jeremías Pérez De La Cruz.
• Carlos Francisco Goyzueta Valladares.
Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras). Corruption case presented in 2017 on • Jesús Augusto García Ibáñez.
• Roger Marco Antonio Navas Coronado.
3. OFAC Designations millionaire bribes paid by Guatemalan • Rafael Angel Díaz Samos. • Julio Roberto de la Peña González.
4. Global Magnitsky Designations construction companies to the then Minister, • Rafael Angel Díaz Fión (also involved in • Walter de Jesús López Acevedo.
“Asalto al Ministerio de Salud”. • Denis Elí Marroquin Castillo.
5. Awaiting extradition to the U.S. on drug chargers Alejandro Sinibaldi.
• Álvaro Mayorga Girón (also involved in • José Roberto García Rodríguez.
6. CConvicted in the U.S. on drug / money laundering “Libramiento de Chimaltenango”) • Julio Ligorría Carballido
• Juan Francisco Sandoval Girón (Former
representative of CACIF at IGSS).

Fase II Caso MCN / Caso Caso “Red de

More national and international builders were
prosecuted for paying bribes to Sinibaldi.
• OAS Construction (Brazil)
• Solel Boneh International (Israel)
• SIGMA Constructores /HW Contractors
• Corporación Premier
• Víctor Enrique Corado Valdez
• José Maynor Palacios Guerra
• María José Pepió (Former Executive Director
of Construction Chamber)
• William Méndez (Lawyer of A. Colom)
Other businessmen were prosecuted
contributing legitimate money, without registration,
to Sinibaldi's campaigns.
• Víctor Valention Giordani Estevez
• José René González Campo
Information on the case reveals that other
Guatemalan companies also transferred money to
Sinibaldi's companies and were under
investigation.
• Perenco (Anglo-french oil company)
• Ingenio Madre Tierra (Ramón Campollo)
• Tikiindustrias (Rudy Weissenberg)
“Financiamiento FCN”
Before being convicted, businessmen Alvaro
Mayorga and José Luis Aguero testified that in
2015, Sinibaldi asked them to pay part of the
bribes to the organization Movimiento Cívico
Nacional (MCN), so that his leader Rodrigo
Arenas could lead a smear campaign against
Manuel Baldizón, nemesis of Sinibaldi.
In judicial raids on MCN, the prosecution
discovered that said organization had also been
used by a group of businessmen to contribute
legitimate, but unregistered, money to the
campaign of Jimmy Morales.
for
• Jimmy Morales (President of Guatemala,
President of Guatemala 2016-2020).
• Andrés Botrán (Acted as intermediary)
• Rodrigo Arenas E. (CEO of MCN)
• Salvador Paiz del Carmen
• José Miguel Torrebiarte Novella
• José Fraterno Vila
• José Guillermo Castillo Villacorta
• Felipe Antonio Bosch
“Odebrecht”
On December 21, 2016, the DOJ accused
Brazilian construction company Norberto
Odebrecht of paying bribes to officials from 12
countries, including Guatemala.
Thanks to contributions of the DOJ, the Lava
Jato Task Force of the Brazilian prosecutor's
office and testimonies from Odebrecht
executives, it was identified that three relevant
political figures had received bribes from the
construction company.
• Alejandro Sinibaldi
• Arturo Batres (General Private Secretary of
Vicepresident Roxana Baldetti and owner of
“Farmacias Batres”)
• Manuel Baldizón (opposition leader) –later
detained and convicted for money laundering
case in the United States.
Information on the case reveals that a second
phase of the case was under investigation,
regarding other benefitiaries of said bribes:
• 82 former Guatemalan congressmen
• 8 Guatemalan companies used to channel the
bribes.
Corrupción y Poder”
The investigations into the assets acquired with
bribes by Sinibaldi made it possible to identify that
the Guatemalan apartment tower, Casa Margarita,
served as an instrument to pay non-monetary bribes
to high officials of the Government of Guatemala.
• William Balz Gallardo (Owner of Casa
Margarita)
• Beatriz Jansa Bianchi de Alejos
• instead of prison.
Juan de Dios Rodríguez (President of IGSS)
• Otto Pérez Molina (President 2012-2015)
•
Gustavo Espina Salguero (Former Vicepresident
of Guatemala 1991-1993 and father of Manuel
Espina, former Guatemala ambassador to the
U.S.)
• Gustavo Alejos Cámbara (former Private
Secretary of Alvaro Colom’s Government)
• Acisclo Valladares Urruela (Executive of TIGO,
former Ministry of Economics under Jimmy
Morales) – detained and awaiting trial in the
United States for money laundering charges.
Caso Evasión
Gustavo Alejos
While he was detained for the “Red de
Corrupción y Poder" case, the
prosecution discovered that Alejos
(owner of private hospitals) had feigned
illness to be transferred to a hospital
Caso Comisiones
Paralelas 2020
In the search of the hospital where
Alejos had been transferred, it was
discovered that Alejos used it as a
private office, and that while he was
there -while supposedly under arrest- he
met with deputies, judges, magistrates
and candidates for judges, in order to
manipulate the election of courts of
2019 and 2020 in Guatemala.
 La Multicausa: the Anti-corruption tornado (II)
Fase II
Fase III
“Las Tamaletas”
In 2020, while the investigation into the payment of bribes to Minister
Sinibaldi (2012-2015) was expanding, the Prosecutor's Office received
information on bribes also paid to the Minister of Communications of
the Government of Jimmy Morales (2016-2020).
In raids on a residence in Antigua Guatemala, suitcases with 122 million
quetzales in cash (15 million US$) were discovered. The residence and
the suitcases were linked to Minister Benito.
Likewise, the residence in which the cash was found was also linked to
Giorgio Bruni, Private Secretary of the Government of Alejandro
Giammattei (2020).
Key designations by U.S. authorities:
1. Engel List (Section 353 List of Corrupt and Undemocratic Actors in Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras)
Caso Construcción – 2.
3.
Torres List (Section 7019 List of Corrupt Officials in Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras).
OFAC Designations
Corrupción
4. Global Magnitsky Designations
5. Awaiting extradition to the U.S. on drug chargers
6. CConvicted in the U.S. on drug / money laundering
Caso Caso “Red de
“Odebrecht” Corrupción y Poder”
Jorge Baldizon Caso Evasión
“Testigo A” Gustavo Alejos
Caso Comisiones
In 2018, the prosecution began extinguishing the properties acquired by Manuel Baldizón
Paralelas 2020
with bribes. While the process was underway, Baldizón's son, Jorge Baldizón, approached After getting busted, Alejos began collaborating with the prosecutors office. Alejos
the prosecution with the interest of collaborating, in an effort to stop the extinction of the accepted that he had negotiated with several members of the 2019 Comisión de
properties. Postulación to have his candidates elected.
• Murphy Olimpo Paiz. Former Dean of USAC
Jorge Baldizón, known as "Witness A", revealed that in August 2019, he negotiated, • Estuardo Gálvez. 2021 Candidate to the Constitucional Court.
together with the then General Secretary of the VAMOS Party, Giorgio Bruni (and later • Luis Fernando Ruiz. Former President of Guatemalan Lawyer’s Bar and 2021
Private Secretary of the Presidency), a contribution of $2.6 million for the electoral Candidate to the Constitutional Court.
campaign of Alejandro Giammattei.
As well, in July 2021, the prosecution requested that the immunity of the following
According to his testimony, the money would come from bribes paid by the builder magistrates be withdrawn, who would also have been part of the effort to alter the
Alejandro Matheu of COINCO to the then Minister of Communications of the election of courts of 2019-2020.
Government of Jimmy Morales, José Luis Benito. • Silvia Patricia Valdés Quezada, President of Corte Suprema de Justicia
• Josué Felipe Baquiax Baquiax,
In exchange for the campaign contribution, Baldizón wanted Giammattei to leave Benito • Manuel Reginaldo Duarte Barrera
in the position of Minister, or failing that, appoint Javier Maldonado Quiñónez. • Vitalina Orellana y Orellana
• Nery Oswaldo Medina Méndez
After the election, Jorge Baldizón and Javier Maldonado traveled with President-elect • Sergio Amadeo Pineda Castañeda
Giammattei to the Dominican Republic (photo of the meeting). • José Antonio Pineda Barales
• Silvia Verónica García Molina.
In July 2021, days before the dismissal of Juan Francisco Sandoval as head of the FECI, • Ranulfo Rafael Rojas. Elected in 2020 for Tribunal Supremo Electoral
dismissal linked to the existence of the statement of "Witness A", the Government • Nester Mauricio Vasquez. Elected in 2021 for Constitutional Court.
changed the Minister of Communications and appointed Maldonado. • Mauricio Moto Morataya, Candidate for 2021 Constitucional Court
• 10 Appeals and Lower Level Judges, who met with Alejos and became “his
Other cases under control of judge Erika Aifán
Caso
“Caja de Pandora”
Case presented in 2017 in relation to acts of
corruption in the Municipality of
Guatemala, during the administration of
Álvaro Arzú, and the business that the
Municipality had with Byron Lima, a
Guatemalan prisoner, convicted of the
murder of Monsignor Gerardi in 1998.
Caso “Comisiones
Paralelas 2014”
Corruption case presented in 2017 in
relation to the way in which a group of
lawyers (Roberto López “el Rey del
Tenis” and Gustavo Herrera) together
with Alejandro Sinibaldi and Roxana
Baldetti rigged the election of courts in
2014.

Caso Caso “Asalto al Caso

“Los Huistas”
Corruption case filed in 2018 in which Los
Huistas -a drug trafficking network- bribed
judges and trafficked influences to avoid
being prosecuted for drug trafficking and
money laundering felonies.
One of the defendants is the brother of Sofía
Hernandez, Vice President of the
Guatemalan Congress with support of the
government, and member of UCN, the party
linked to Mario Estrada (convicted in the
U.S. of drug related charges)
Ministerio de Salud”
Corruption case presented in 2019 in
relation to payment of bribes to access
contracts in the Guatemalan Ministry of
Health. One of the defendants, Daniel
Rojas Mena, was a close collaborator of
President Giammattei in his electoral
campaign.
“Fenix”
Corruption case presented in 2019 related to
a money laundering network that defrauded
the Guatemalan Social Security Institute in
2003. Since then, the network has dedicated
itself to hiding the money, in addition to
bribing prosecutors and judges to ensure
impunity. The ring leader, Gustavo Herrera,
lives in Nicaragua under the protection of
Daniel Ortega, and has been a financier for
riging court elections in Guatemala.
 The situation of judge Ericka Aifán
• Due to her position as Judge of Higher Risk Cases D, and particularly, due to the dynamics generated because of the multiple
lines of investigation that were generated after the "Construction-Corruption" case of Alejandro Sinibaldi, Judge Ericka
Aifán had prosecuted or had judiciary control over court criminal cases that involve (or may involve) the following actors:

• President Pérez Molina, Vice President Baldetti and senior officials of the Government of the Patriot Party 2012-2015 for cases of
bribery and money laundering
• President Jimmy Morales (2016-2020) for illicit electoral financing, not reported; his Minister of Communications, José Luis Benito
for bribery and money laundering.
• President Alejandro Giammattei (2020-2024) and his former Private Secretary Giorgio Bruni, for illicit electoral financing, allegedly
coming from bribes to former Minister Benito.

• Relevant actors on the corruption map that transcend from administration to administration (Gustavo Alejos, Acisclo Valladares,
Espina Family).

• 5 of the largest businessmen in Guatemala for illicit, unregistered electoral financing of Jimmy Morales' campaign in 2015.
• Dozens of construction businessmen for bribes paid to former ministers Alejandro Sinibaldi and José Luis Benito, as well as illicit
financing of the 2011, 2015 and 2019 campaigns.

• 1 current magistrate of the Supreme Electoral Tribunal and 1 current magistrate of the Constitutional Court.
• 10 of 13 magistrates of the Supreme Court of Justice (2014 - present) for their attempt to rig the 2019 court election.
• Operators and financiers of efforts to rig the elections of high judicial courts in Guatemala 2014 and 2019.

• Members of the Los Huistas drug cartel, whose members would be linked to the UCN party and with relevant positions within the
current Congress of the Republic. Also allied with President Giammattei's party.
 The situation of judge Ericka Aifán
• Derived from the previous situation, there is a shared interest among the political elite, the judicial elite and senior judicial
magistrates, traditional business groups, emerging businessmen linked to corruption and drug trafficking groups to remove
Judge Aifán from her court.

• Likewise, given that two investigations that are known in the Aifán court could link President Giammattei or close officials,
there is also an interest from the government to remove Aifán.

• Likewise, given that the Public Ministry has agreed to present several legal actions against Aifan, and that these actions
must be heard by the Supreme Court of Justice or Courts of Appeals (many of whose judges are under investigation in cases
that are heard in the court of Aifán) there are no guarantees that the judge can even expect impartiality and objectivity from
the judicial actors who would hear the complaints against her.

• Since the only way for Alejandro Sinibaldi to get out of prison is for the entire case known as “Multicausa" to be
dismantled, there is an evident campaign by actors promoting impunity, particularly the Foundation against Terrorism
(Ricardo Méndez Ruiz, Raúl Falla and Moisés Galindo) to "disarm the multi-cause", in an apparent effort to help Sinibaldi.

• In the process, all the political, business or judicial actors that have been affected by these investigations would also benefit
if the multicausal gets dismantled or reassigned to a more “lenient” judge.

• Likewise, if the caso “Comisiones Paralelas 2020” is also dismantled, that would clear the path so that Congress can elect
the magistrates of the Supreme Court of Justice and Appeals Chambers for the next 5 years. Surely several of the candidates
who met with Gustavo Alejos and who became "his candidates" would be elected.