Sanctioning Former Guatemalan Official for Public Corruption in Defense of the Democratic Transition

The United States continues to take action to counter public corruption and ongoing efforts to undermine the democratic transfer of power in Guatemala.  The United States is designating Luis Miguel Martinez Morales, the former head of the now-defunct Centro de Gobierno, for engaging in corruption in Guatemala.  Martinez engaged in bribery and corruption related to government contracts to benefit himself and close associates.

We are taking this action in response to endemic corruption, which malign actors in Guatemala are exploiting to undermine the democratic transition to President-elect Bernardo Arévalo and Vice President-elect Karin Herrera.  Corrupt actors such as Martinez aim to subvert the will of the Guatemalan people by interfering with the country’s democratic transfer of power.

Through the Global Magnitsky sanctions program, the United States imposes tangible and significant consequences to discourage corrupt actors.  Today’s action reinforces previous actions taken by the U.S. Government through a variety of tools to promote accountability for corrupt and undemocratic actors in Guatemala and to support the will of the Guatemalan people.

We stand in solidarity with the Guatemalan people and their fight to hold public officials accountable for corrupt actions that undermine democracy and strangle Guatemala’s prosperity.

The Department of the Treasury action was taken pursuant to Executive Order 13818, which builds on and implements the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act.  For additional information on today’s actions, please see the Department of the Treasury’s press release [https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/jy1941].