Latest news with #Velasquez
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Colombia rejects Guatemalan court's arrest warrants for top officials
Bogota, Colombia – Colombian President Gustavo Petro has criticised a Guatemalan court order for the arrests of two senior Colombian officials, accusing the prosecutor's office of being corrupt. Guatemalan Public Prosecutor Rafael Curruchiche on Monday accused Colombian Attorney General Luz Adriana Camargo and former Colombian Defence Minister Ivan Velasquez of corruption, influence peddling, obstruction of justice, and collusion during a United Nations-backed International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG) investigation into bribes paid to Guatemalan officials by Brazilian construction giant Odebrecht. Petro said on Tuesday that the targeting of Camargo and Velasquez was politically motivated and shows that the attorney general's office is 'subordinate to the mafia'. 'Narcotrafficking multinationals are trying to take over legal authorities and governments to carry out and whitewash their illicit business,' wrote Petro in a post on X. In a statement released on Monday, Guatemala's government also said it 'emphatically rejects the arrest warrants'. 'These actions are carried out with a clear political objective, without grounding in the national and international legal system,' it announcing the warrants on Monday, Curruchiche alleged without providing evidence that Camargo and Velasquez abused their power while working at the CICIG on the Odebrecht case, a vast corruption scandal in which the construction firm admitted to bribing officials for public contracts in 10 Latin American countries. On Tuesday, Curruchiche presented emails, purportedly between Odebrecht employees and Camargo, to reporters that he said prove Camargo and Velasquez are guilty, though Al Jazeera could not independently verify the validity of the emails. Curruchiche's office first announced it was investigating Velasquez, who is currently Colombia's ambassador to the Holy See, in January 2023 when he was still minister of defence. From 2013 to 2019, Velasquez oversaw the CICIG, which uncovered several corruption networks in Guatemala. Guatemala's prosecutor's office did not respond to a request for comment. Both Camargo and Velasquez have denied the accusations. 'The corrupt Guatemalan Attorney General and her prosecutor Curruchiche – designated as corrupt and sanctioned by the US and the European Union – extend their persecution to me and Luz Adriana Camargo,' wrote Velasquez in an X post on Tuesday. Colombia's attorney general also rejected the charges in a press conference in Bogota on Wednesday. 'I am comforted by the tranquility of my innocence in the crimes that have been attributed to me by political bias,' said Camargo. Juanita Goebertus Estrada, director of the Americas Division at Human Rights Watch, told Al Jazeera that the accusations against the Colombian officials were unfounded. 'There is no evidence against Velasquez or Camargo of any credible participation in criminal activity,' she said, adding that the warrants were just the latest in a series of controversial moves by the office of Guatemala's Attorney General Maria Consuelo Porras, who has faced international criticism for resisting anti-corruption efforts. 'Consuelo Porras has a terrible record in human rights and democracy. She has constantly used criminal action as a weapon against those who have tried to fight against corruption in the country,' said Goebertus. Curruchiche was criticised for interfering with elections after his office suspended then-candidate Bernardo Arevalo's party ahead of the presidential run-off in 2023. Arevalo went on to win the elections, assuming office in January 2024 Guatemala's government said the arrest warrants are part of a wider pattern of judicial overreach. 'These are part of a series of actions by the Public Prosecutor's Office, the Attorney General of the Republic and judges associated with corruption that have distorted the meaning of justice in Guatemala,' said the Guatemalan government in its statement on Monday. Despite the arrest orders, it appears unlikely that actions against the two officials will be taken outside of Guatemala. 'Petro won't comply with the arrest warrants … and it is very likely that he will seek an injunction to any international notice by Interpol that seeks to do the same,' Sergio Guzman, director at Colombia Risk Analysis, a security think tank, told Al Jazeera. However, Colombian opposition figures have embraced the arrest warrants as evidence of corruption in the Petro administration. Vicky Davila, the conservative frontrunner in next year's presidential elections, promised to comply with the order. 'On August 7 of next year, we will send them to Guatemala on a commercial flight, handcuffed, as befits extradited persons, to answer to the justice of that country for their alleged crimes,' wrote Davila in a post on X on Monday.
Straits Times
20 hours ago
- Politics
- Straits Times
Guatemala issues arrest warrants for Colombia AG, former UN corruption investigator
BOGOTA/MEXICO CITY - Guatemala's attorney general's office announced arrest warrants on Monday for a group of people including Colombia's attorney general and a former UN anti-corruption prosecutor, drawing condemnation from the foreign ministry in Bogota. In a video on social media, the head of Guatemala's Special Prosecutor's Office Against Impunity Rafael Curruchiche said a Guatemalan court had issued arrest warrants for Colombia's Attorney General Luz Adriana Camargo and Ivan Velasquez, a veteran Colombian prosecutor, on corruption charges. Curruchiche alleged in the video that Velasquez led a "criminal structure" that benefited businessmen from the Brazilian construction company formerly known as Odebrecht. Camargo and Velasquez were charged with criminal association, obstruction of justice, influence peddling and collusion, the video said. In a post on social media on Monday, Velasquez said the arrest warrants amounted to persecution by corrupt officials. An official at the Colombia Attorney General's office declined to comment. Velasquez won international praise for his work last decade as head of the UN-backed International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG), which in 2015 exposed a multi-million dollar graft case that led to the resignation and arrest of former Guatemalan President Otto Perez Molina. The CICIG later investigated Perez Molina's successor, President Jimmy Morales, who ultimately shut down the commission in the country. Curruchiche said Guatemala had requested Interpol issue an alert for the arrests of Camargo and Velasquez, as well as for several notable former Guatemalan prosecutors. Colombia's foreign ministry on Monday condemned the arrest warrants for Camargo and Velasquez, saying Guatemala's calls for the arrest by Interpol were without legal basis and constituted an "attack on the fundamental principles of international justice." Velasquez was Colombia's defense minister until earlier this year, and was named recently as the country's ambassador to the Vatican. Odebrecht has rebranded after pleading guilty to bribery in the United States in 2016 and admitting to bribing officials throughout Latin America for years. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
The Star
20 hours ago
- Politics
- The Star
Guatemala issues arrest warrants for Colombia AG, former UN corruption investigator
BOGOTA/MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Guatemala's attorney general's office announced arrest warrants on Monday for a group of people including Colombia's attorney general and a former UN anti-corruption prosecutor, drawing condemnation from the foreign ministry in Bogota. In a video on social media, the head of Guatemala's Special Prosecutor's Office Against Impunity Rafael Curruchiche said a Guatemalan court had issued arrest warrants for Colombia's Attorney General Luz Adriana Camargo and Ivan Velasquez, a veteran Colombian prosecutor, on corruption charges. Curruchiche alleged in the video that Velasquez led a "criminal structure" that benefited businessmen from the Brazilian construction company formerly known as Odebrecht. Camargo and Velasquez were charged with criminal association, obstruction of justice, influence peddling and collusion, the video said. In a post on social media on Monday, Velasquez said the arrest warrants amounted to persecution by corrupt officials. An official at the Colombia Attorney General's office declined to comment. Velasquez won international praise for his work last decade as head of the UN-backed International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG), which in 2015 exposed a multi-million dollar graft case that led to the resignation and arrest of former Guatemalan President Otto Perez Molina. The CICIG later investigated Perez Molina's successor, President Jimmy Morales, who ultimately shut down the commission in the country. Curruchiche said Guatemala had requested Interpol issue an alert for the arrests of Camargo and Velasquez, as well as for several notable former Guatemalan prosecutors. Colombia's foreign ministry on Monday condemned the arrest warrants for Camargo and Velasquez, saying Guatemala's calls for the arrest by Interpol were without legal basis and constituted an "attack on the fundamental principles of international justice." Velasquez was Colombia's defense minister until earlier this year, and was named recently as the country's ambassador to the Vatican. Odebrecht has rebranded after pleading guilty to bribery in the United States in 2016 and admitting to bribing officials throughout Latin America for years. (Reporting by Luis Jaime Acosta in Bogota and Brendan O'Boyle in Mexico City; Writing by Brendan O'Boyle; Editing by Tom Hogue and Kate Mayberry)
Yahoo
20 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Guatemala issues arrest warrants for Colombia AG, former UN corruption investigator
BOGOTA/MEXICO CITY (Reuters) - Guatemala's attorney general's office announced arrest warrants on Monday for a group of people including Colombia's attorney general and a former UN anti-corruption prosecutor, drawing condemnation from the foreign ministry in Bogota. In a video on social media, the head of Guatemala's Special Prosecutor's Office Against Impunity Rafael Curruchiche said a Guatemalan court had issued arrest warrants for Colombia's Attorney General Luz Adriana Camargo and Ivan Velasquez, a veteran Colombian prosecutor, on corruption charges. Curruchiche alleged in the video that Velasquez led a "criminal structure" that benefited businessmen from the Brazilian construction company formerly known as Odebrecht. Camargo and Velasquez were charged with criminal association, obstruction of justice, influence peddling and collusion, the video said. In a post on social media on Monday, Velasquez said the arrest warrants amounted to persecution by corrupt officials. An official at the Colombia Attorney General's office declined to comment. Velasquez won international praise for his work last decade as head of the UN-backed International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG), which in 2015 exposed a multi-million dollar graft case that led to the resignation and arrest of former Guatemalan President Otto Perez Molina. The CICIG later investigated Perez Molina's successor, President Jimmy Morales, who ultimately shut down the commission in the country. Curruchiche said Guatemala had requested Interpol issue an alert for the arrests of Camargo and Velasquez, as well as for several notable former Guatemalan prosecutors. Colombia's foreign ministry on Monday condemned the arrest warrants for Camargo and Velasquez, saying Guatemala's calls for the arrest by Interpol were without legal basis and constituted an "attack on the fundamental principles of international justice." Velasquez was Colombia's defense minister until earlier this year, and was named recently as the country's ambassador to the Vatican. Odebrecht has rebranded after pleading guilty to bribery in the United States in 2016 and admitting to bribing officials throughout Latin America for years.
GMA Network
23-05-2025
- Business
- GMA Network
Econ team engages with civil groups to refine macroeconomic, DBCC process
The Marcos administration's economic team has engaged, for the first time, members of civil society organizations (CSOs) in a dialogue to refine the Development Budget Coordination Committee (DBCC) process. In a news release on Friday, the Department of Finance (DOF) said the DBCC —chaired by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) and composed of the DOF, the Department of Economy, Planning and Development (DEPDev), and the Office of the President (OP), with the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP)— held a dialogue with 15 CSOs last May 21, 2025 to 'strengthen participatory governance and provide a platform for meaningful engagement between civil society and key policymakers.' The 'Macroeconomic Insights for National Action: An Economic Dialogue with Civil Society' —organized by the DBM in collaboration with its Budget Policy and Strategy (BPS) Group and the Philippine Open Government Partnership (PH-OGP)— was in line with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s directive to make the DBCC process more transparent, inclusive, and reflective of the concerns of various stakeholders. The DBCC is primarily responsible for reviewing and approving the government's macroeconomic targets, revenue projections, borrowing levels, overall budget ceiling, and expenditure priorities. The body recommends to the Cabinet and the President the consolidated public sector financial position and the national fiscal program. The dialogue, during which CSOs share their feedback and policy recommendations, and explore diverse perspectives on emerging economic challenges, was paneled by Budget Secretary and DBCC chair Amenah Pangandaman together with DOF Undersecretary and chief economist Domini Velasquez, BSP Deputy Governor Zeno Abenoja, DBM principal economist and Undersecretary Joselito Basilio, and DBM Assistant Secretary Romeo Matthew Balanquit served as panelists during the event. The DOF said DBM Undersecretary Basilio opened the session with an overview of the DBCC's structure and processes. Budget chief Pangandaman, for her part, gave a keynote that underscored the significance of CSO engagement in the budget cycle and emphasized the administration's push for budget reforms that prioritize openness and accountability. DOF's Velasquez, meanwhile, highlighted the DOF's critical role in securing the financial backbone of the government, noting the challenge of raising P12.72 billion in daily revenues this year to fund the P6.352 trillion national budget—of which only P4.64 trillion is supported by revenue collections. Velasquez also said that the DOF is implementing a three-pronged strategy to boost revenue generation, namely strengthening tax administration, enacting key revenue reforms, and maximizing non-tax revenues through public-private partnerships (PPPs) and strategic privatization initiatives. The Finance official likewise reassured CSOs that the government is on track to bring the fiscal deficit down gradually to just 3.7% by 2028. On the BSP's side, Abenoja presented the latest macroeconomic assumptions and monetary policy developments amid the shifting global landscape. During the open forum, CSO participants raised timely and relevant points on tax policy, transparency in budgeting, digital transformation, and freedom of information, according to the DOF. The Finance Department said the CSOs' insights and recommendations will be thoroughly considered by the DBCC in crafting macroeconomic and fiscal strategies that genuinely reflect the needs and aspirations of the Filipino people. —AOL, GMA Integrated News
