In a statement released by his spokesperson, United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres expressed concern over the process against the former head of CICIG, for whom he called for a fair trial.

The UN chief recalled the important contribution of the Commission and its staff to the fight against corruption and impunity in that nation.

He insisted on urging Guatemalan authorities to protect the personnel linked to that institution from abuses, threats, reprisals or acts of intimidation for their work, in accordance with the agreement signed between the UN and the Government regarding the Commission.

Since September 2023, the UN has been concerned over the process against Gonzalez and other former CICIG officials, who are investigated by the judicial authorities for facts related to their work there.

At the time, the UN stated that since the closure of that entity in 2019, several reports point to the use of criminal proceedings as retaliation against people who collaborated in the investigation and prosecution of corruption cases.

The CICIG was an initiative of the United Nations itself, created in 2006 and unilaterally dismantled in 2019 by the Government of President Jimmy Morales.

Claudia Gonzalez, who has been held in prison since August 28, was accused of alleged abuse of authority when she was in charge of an investigation against Supreme Court Justice’s Attorney Blanca Stalling.

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