Juan Francisco Sandoval Alfaro (born 5 May 1982) is a Guatemalan attorney and prosecutor who served as Head of the Special Prosecutor's Office against Impunity from September 2015 to July 2021.
Juan Francisco Sandoval | |
---|---|
Head of the Special Prosecutor's Office against Impunity | |
In office 4 September 2015 – 23 July 2021 | |
Attorney General | Thelma Aldana María Consuelo Porras |
Preceded by | Óscar Schaad |
Succeeded by | Carla Isidra Valenzuela |
Personal details | |
Born | 5 May 1982 Guatemala City, Guatemala |
Alma mater | Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala |
Biography
editSandoval was an ally of then-Attorney General Thelma Aldana in investigating cases against former presidents Alfonso Portillo, Álvaro Arzú, Álvaro Colom and Otto Pérez Molina, among other cases.[1][2] After Aldana's mandate, Sandoval began investigations for possible corruption against former president Jimmy Morales[3] and Alejandro Giammattei.[4]
Sandoval maintained a strained relationship with Aldana's successor, María Consuelo Porras, who eventually ended up removing him in July 2021.[1][5] According to the US State Department, Porras "actively undermined" the corruption investigations conducted by Sandoval and his team. About two months after her removal, the US Department of State included Porras on a list of "corrupt and undemocratic" officials.[6]
References
edit- ^ a b "Juan Francisco Sandoval y su lucha contra la corrupción". elPeriódico de Guatemala (in Spanish). 2021-07-24. Archived from the original on 2021-07-25. Retrieved 2021-07-26.
- ^ "Estos son los casos más emblemáticos investigados por la FECI". Prensa Libre (in Spanish). 2021-07-23. Retrieved 2021-07-26.
- ^ "FECI determinará si Jimmy Morales sabía para qué serviría el cheque que firmó". elPeriódico (in Spanish). February 25, 2019. Archived from the original on June 22, 2021. Retrieved September 22, 2021.
- ^ "¿A qué o quiénes perjudican denuncias contra el presidente de Guatemala?". Voice of America (in Spanish). August 30, 2021. Retrieved September 22, 2021.
- ^ Blinken, Antony [@SecBlinken] (July 25, 2021). "We stand with the people of Guatemala and with Prosecutor Juan Francisco Sandoval, whom I recognized this year with an Anticorruption Champion Award. His dismissal undermines the rule of law and strengthens the forces of impunity. Guatemalans deserve better" (Tweet). Retrieved July 26, 2021 – via Twitter.
- ^ "U.S. adds top Guatemalan, Salvadoran officials to corruption list". swissinfo.ch. September 20, 2021. Archived from the original on September 21, 2021. Retrieved September 21, 2021.