The Public Ministry (MP) began a reorganization of its prosecutor’s offices and administrative areas after the arrival of Gabriel Garcia Luna to the head of the institution. MP sources revealed on June 26 the appointments of new managers, mostly through replacements between existing heads and, in some cases, with interim appointments, without calling for internal competitions or incorporating new personnel so far.
Maura Elena Figueroa Salay He occupies the interim leadership of the Special Prosecutor’s Office against Impunity (FECI). Salay served for four months as deputy prosecutor of that prosecutor’s office, when it was directed by Rafael Curruchiche Cucul, dismissed on May 20. Previously she was head of the Fiscal Agency of San Lucas Sacatepéquez.
In the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office he was appointed Edgar Rolando Rodenaswho headed the Prosecutor’s Office for Crimes against Journalists.
Margarita Izaguirre He headed the Asset Forfeiture Prosecutor’s Office, where he has developed a large part of his career within the Public Ministry.
Raul Figueroa He assumed the leadership of the Anti-Kidnapping Prosecutor’s Office but was removed last Friday. Previously, he was head of the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office, a position he held after the resignation of Stuardo Campo, in 2023.
Ivy Argueta She was appointed head of the Drug Crimes Prosecutor’s Office. The prosecutor has a career of more than a decade within the Public Ministry.
Alfredo Solorzano The Prosecutor’s Office against Human Trafficking took over. Previously he was in charge of the prosecutor’s offices for Customs Fraud and Smuggling Crimes, Crimes against Life and Crimes against Intellectual Property. In addition, he ran as a candidate for magistrate of the Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE)..
For its part, Hassen Coy López He was appointed head of the Prosecutor’s Office against Transnational Crimes. He previously served as deputy section prosecutor of the Office of the Prosecutor against Human Trafficking.
Freddy Santos He was transferred from the Migrant Assistance Prosecutor’s Office to the Economic Crimes Prosecutor’s Office. Previously, he worked for more than a decade in the Anti-Kidnapping Prosecutor’s Office.
Meanwhile, Maria Esther Guzman took over the Environmental Crimes Prosecutor’s Office. One of the last cases he was in charge of, when he worked in the Prosecutor’s Office against Transnational Crimes, was the operation Migrant Merchants Northwest Regionin which they captured members of a criminal structure dedicated to money laundering and the transfer of migrants to the United States.
The new attorney general appointed Gilberto de Jesús Porres de Paz at the Municipal Prosecutor’s Office of Palencia. Porres de Paz, husband of former Attorney General María Consuelo Porras, was deputy section prosecutor in the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office and was later transferred to the Investigation Unit.
Not all prosecutors’ offices were subject to changes. Nancy Ovando remains in charge of the head of the Prosecutor’s Office against Money Laundering or Other Assets.
Klayber Bladimiro Sical Jiménez He also continues to head the Office of the Prosecutor against Organized Crime, a position he has held since August 2022, when he was appointed head of the office, replacing Luis Arturo Archila.
“Attorney Luis Arturo Archila, who was designated as the office manager of the Prosecutor’s Office against Organized Crime, returns to his previous position in the Challenges Unit. As a result, the Deputy Section Prosecutor, Klayber Sical, was appointed as the office manager of the Prosecutor’s Office,” the MP said on that occasion.
Another change was the appointment of Celma Raquel Sáenz Barrios as regional prosecutor of Region VII of the West, replacing Cinthia Monterroso. Sáenz served as Sacatepéquez District Attorney during the administration of former Attorney General María Consuelo Porras.
Changes in the administrative structure
The restructuring also reached the administrative leadership of the MP.
So far they have been confirmed Esvin Santiago Chavajay as general secretary; Salvador Alberto Guzmán Cermeñoas Secretary of Criminal Policy; Shirley Garcia Ovalleas Secretary of International Affairs and Cooperation; José Raúl López Lamadridas national coordinator, and Rony Lopez Galindoat the head of the Secretariat of Information Technology Affairs.
Tax career and possible changes
Although some of the appointments have been described on social networks as a “recycling” of officials, Alan Ajiatas, former prosecutor of the Public Ministry and security and justice analyst, considers that several of the new bosses are part of the prosecutor’s career and They have years of experience within the institution.
He explained that, originally, prosecutorial positions were obtained through an opposition process that included written, oral and psychometric tests, in addition to an evaluation of each candidate’s work history. This system allowed promotions to respond to merit and the development of a tax career.
However, Ajiatas pointed out that this model began to weaken during the administration of former Attorney General María Consuelo Porras, when, in his opinion, dismissals and transfers were carried out that altered the merit promotion system and affected the specialization of several prosecutors’ offices.
The former prosecutor indicated that he knows several of the recently appointed officials because he was also part of the prosecutor’s career and assured that many have extensive experience within the Public Ministry.
However, he warned that some specialized prosecutor’s offices require specific profiles, so it will be necessary to verify that the new managers have the experience to direct them. He added that the massive transfers recorded in recent years caused several prosecutor’s offices to lose specialized personnel, which weakened their investigative capacity.
Ajiatas believes that the changes announced so far respond to the need to reorganize the institution immediately, although he estimates that the restructuring has not yet been completed.
“They will probably continue to make changes and these appointments are temporary or transitional, while the new administration adapts to the management of the Public Ministry,” he commented.