Gabriel Estuardo García Luna was chosen as attorney general and head of Public Ministry (MP) this May 5 by President Bernardo Arévalo.
García Luna advanced on the list of six candidates with one of the highest scores in the application process and consolidated a career of more than two decades within the justice system.
In recent years, García Luna has combined functions within the judicial system and the Executive.
He is currently a substitute for the Judicial Disciplinary Board (2024-2026) of the Judicial Body, a position he has held together with that of criminal advisor in the higher office of the Attorney General’s Office (PGN) since 2024.
In this context, it has been part of an institutional environment close to the Executive. The head of the PGN, Julio Saavedra, also participated in the process, although he did not manage to advance to the final list of eligible. García Luna, on the other hand, was positioned among the best evaluated.
Different analyzes of his profile also place him as a figure close to actors in the presidential environment, including advisor Alejandro Balsells, which places him within the circle of trust of the government of President Bernardo Arévalo.
Experience in the judicial system
His career in the Judicial Branch exceeds 25 years, beginning in 1997 in technical positions and progressively ascending in the judiciary.
He was a Justice of the Peace and a Judge of First Instance in Mixco, in addition to being a member of the Second Criminal Sentencing Court in that municipality.
Subsequently, between 2014 and 2019, he served as Judge II of the Mixed Regional Chamber of the Court of Appeals of Cobán, Alta Verapaz, an experience that allowed him to comply with the constitutional requirement of having formed an appeals chamber.
Between 2016 and 2023, he chaired the Judicial Disciplinary Board, the body in charge of hearing administrative misconduct by justice operators.
During that period, among other cases, the suspension for 20 days without pay of Judge Rocío Murillo for actions related to the Virgen de la Asunción Safe Home case was resolved.
Currently he remains linked to that body as a substitute member.
His career also includes a complaint filed with the Human Rights Ombudsman’s Office corresponding to the period 2015-2018, as well as the promotion of a pretrial, together with Mildred Azucena Mejía Ábrego, against Justice of the Peace Víctor Leonel López del Valle, which was admitted for processing.
In the academic field, he has taught at the Rafael Landívar University and at the School of Judicial Studies. He has a master’s degree in Criminal Law from the University of San Carlos of Guatemala.
Proposal to the head of the MP
During his participation in the interview phaseGarcía Luna proposed a restructuring focused on results. Among its main lines of work are:
- Prioritize resources for criminal investigation
- Invest in technology and institutional modernization
- Strengthen human resources, with constant training
- Implement evaluation and meritocracy systems
- Promote multidisciplinary teams
As a starting point, it has pointed out the need to carry out a comprehensive evaluation of results in the administrative, technical and fiscal areas, in relation to the assigned budget.
He has also questioned the Public Ministry’s territorial coverage model, warning that in some municipalities the infrastructure and size of fiscal agencies do not correspond to the population or crime levels, which – as he has indicated – generates high costs without a direct relationship with effectiveness.