Political Watershed in Guatemala as Polemical Attorney General Replaced

Latin America Correspondent Jon Bonfiglio with news of how Guatemalan President Bernardo Arévalo has appointed a new attorney general, putting an end to a fierce, multi-year struggle with former top prosecutor Consuelo Porras.

Transcript

Hi everyone. Welcome back to Latin America Correspondent, where today we are in Guatemala. Before we get there, though, we covered some of the story we are about to talk about and update on, on March 31st in an episode called Global Witness Special Report on Guatemala - with Toby Hill, so do go back and listen to that if you haven’t already. In the episode we spoke to Toby Hill, is an investigative journalist researching how corruption and impunity fuel environmental crimes and human rights abuses, and focused on his Global Witness March 2026 report on Guatemala, which examined how criminalisation and online smear campaigns work together to target and silence indigenous leaders and anti-corruption efforts. It also addressed the Bernardo Arévalo government in Guatemala, and how it had a long standing struggle with Attorney General Consuelo Porras, which will be the focus of today’s episode, specifically the fact that earlier this week President Arévalo finally appointed a new attorney general and head of the prosecutor’s office, ending an interminable, multi-year struggle between the executive and former head prosecutor Consuelo Porras, a highly complex figure who tried to block the president from entering office, multiple times, moves which were regularly criticized internationally. In fact, Porras has been sanctioned by more than 40 countries for impeding anti-corruption efforts in Guatemala during her time in office. The general belief is that Porras is protecting established interests and corrupt practices in the country, who fear investigation by the Arévalo  government.

It’s worth clarifying that in Guatemala, the office of attorney general in theory supposed to be independent, and regularly spans the terms of multiple presidents, and it’s a position which has been linked to corruption abuses over the years, 

Replacing Porras is lawyer Gabriel Estuardo García Luna, 49, with 22 years of professional experience. Although Arévalo appointed García Luna, it was from a list of six candidates submitted by a nominating commission made up of the president of the Supreme Court, heads of law schools across the country and the national lawyer’s association. 

“The Public Ministry,” said Arévalo, “is getting a new authority who does not come to serve a president, the government of the day, or particular or spurious political interests.” He went on to say “...this is a time ‌to ⁠learn from our history. Justice has all too often been a tool of revenge. It is time to leave that past behind.”

This all draws a line under an especially fraught period in Guatemalan history, a sort of tussle for power at the top of the country’s political system. Whether it’s a whole new beginning is yet to be seen.

Just before we go today, a general call-out for regular listeners out there, just to have a think about who you know who may be interested in tuning in and following the podcast, and sharing information with them. It’s been a quietish month, a phrase I’m scared of saying, and the cause of this has mostly been the US’s engagement with Iran, which means its focus is elsewhere, but it’s only a matter of time. And of course the World Cup is only a month away - and for any of you who are interested, I also participate in the World Cup etc podcast, available on all download platforms , which looks at the football, or soccer, but also focuses on everything that exists around it, which is so often ignored, the politics, the culture, the history and society. That’s the World Cup etc podcast.

Thanks everyone, and all the best for now.