Central America

Guatemalan Comptroller’s Office denounces members of TSE for fraud

Photo: EFE

November 27 |

Guatemala’s Comptroller General’s Office (CGC) filed on Saturday a complaint with the Public Prosecutor’s Office (MP) against members of the Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE) upon detecting certain irregularities in the purchase of the computer system for the Transmission of Preliminary Electoral Results (TREP).

According to the Comptroller’s Office, the complaint stems from an audit process that showed the need to thoroughly investigate the process of search, purchase and acquisition of computer equipment for the TREP, especially from the overall cost of the process that amounted to 148 million quetzales (US$19,240,000).

“This result stems from findings of poor quality public spending on procured goods and contracted services, derived from poor planning. The CGC has no competence to know or audit the result of the 2023 electoral process, since it is solely the competence of the Supreme Electoral Tribunal”, he assured.

This process is in addition to the complaint filed by the MP against the magistrates of the Electoral Tribunal, Irma Palencia, Ranulfo Rojas, Gabriel Aguilera, Blanca Alfaro, Mynor Franco and the substitutes Álvaro Ricardo Cordón, Marco Antonio Cornejo and Marlon Josué Barahona, for fraud, breach of duties and abuse of authority in the contracting of the computer program.

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The computer system was purchased as a result of the pre-trial filed by the Administrative Crimes Prosecutor’s Office against the magistrates of the TSE for alleged irregularities in the acquisition of said system, a process endorsed last November 7 by the Supreme Court of Justice (CSJ).

This caused the files to be transferred to the Guatemalan Congress, placing them under the scrutiny of the deputies, who would be in charge of the final decision to maintain or withdraw the immunity of the accused magistrates. Currently, the file is in the hands of an Investigative Commission.

Related Topics:Central America Fraud TSE

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Central America

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“The National Government has decided to extend the validity of the safe-conduct pass for an additional seventy-two (72) hours, until the end of Thursday, April 3, 2025,” the Panamanian Foreign Ministry stated in a communiqué. The original permit was set to expire Monday at midnight (05:00 GMT on Tuesday).

The Foreign Ministry explained that regarding the ‘humanitarian asylum’ granted to Martinelli last Thursday, which was set to expire Monday at midnight, the Nicaraguan government requested clarifications about an apparent Interpol alert, which had already been dismissed as inadmissible.

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Central America

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“I gave her a list of things that President Trump would love to see. And it was exceptional. It was supposed to be a half-hour meeting, but we talked for nearly two hours. It was very productive,” Noem said in an interview with Fox News.

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Central America

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