The Attorney General and Chief of the Public Ministry, Mrs. María Consuelo Porras Argueta, held a meeting with Leaders and Deputy Leaders of Blocs of the Congress of the Republic of Guatemala with the aim of establishing a coordination line between both institutions and presenting the actions and projects implemented and to be strengthened in accordance with Resolution 06-2024 of the Congress of the Republic.

Mrs. Porras Argueta summarized the strengthening that the Public Ministry has undergone during her tenure so that the Representatives of Congress could be aware of the institution’s activities. Accordingly, she revealed the actions that the institution has promoted for the benefit of the population during the period from 2018 to 2023, which have allowed for significant institutional efficiency.

Among these actions, she highlighted the 98% reduction in case backlog, the resolution of 96% of new cases filed since May 2018. Additionally, the ISO 9001-2015 Certification in 343 departments, the creation and implementation of 7 specialized units, and 100% coverage by the Criminal Investigations Directorate, among other advancements.

Furthermore, she spoke about the importance of providing attention to vulnerable groups and, regarding women, the second most reported crime, she mentioned the strengthening that the Women’s Prosecutor’s Office has undergone and the work carried out through the Comprehensive Care Model for Women Victims of Violence IxKem, which not only provides them with effective justice but also empowers women with training or bank credits, for example, allowing them to resume their life projects.

She also mentioned the Mechanism for Immediate Search of Missing Women, Isabel Claudina Alert, which is providing effective responses to women and their families.

During the meeting, reference was also made to Resolution 6-2024 of the Congress of the Republic, which exposes the vulnerability faced by several Guatemalans, being victims of entities that, not being banking or financial institutions, harass and profit from their needs, subjecting them to abuses and even causing their death.

In this regard, it was reported that among the preliminary actions, the Transnational Crimes Prosecutor’s Office and the Immediate Reaction Unit have detected the use of digital technologies to commit illicit activities, including scams. As a result, the prosecutor`s office has identified 17 kinds of online swindles, with the majority being related to cybercrimes. However, currently, there is no legal framework to address such crimes, necessitating an integrated approach to address them as a criminal phenomenon.

In the same vein, usury cases have been addressed through a multidisciplinary team including the Criminal Analysis Directorate and Prosecutor’s Offices such as Women’s, Kidnappings, and Life, among others.

The Attorney General reiterated the importance of coordinated work as a tool to effectively address the population’s needs and thanked the Bloc Leaders and Deputy Leaders for their participation in the coordination meeting, hoping to work together in combating usury and other crimes affecting the population, emphasizing the need for Congress Members to be informed so they can legislate and create laws that strengthen criminal prosecution.

She also expressed her expectation to «continue achieving successful collaborations that benefit our country. I reaffirm that, respecting our respective functions and complying with the law, the Public Ministry always has its doors open to all of you,» she concluded.

On their part, the Bloc Leaders and Deputy Leaders expressed gratitude to the Attorney General for the invitation and acknowledged the importance of being informed about the achievements made for the benefit of the population. They emphasized that this collaborative effort will enable the country to have legislation based on the real needs of the population.

This meeting adds to a series of inter-institutional coordination actions led by the Attorney General, aimed at pooling efforts to benefit the Guatemalan population.

In this respect, the initial of these endeavors reached the President of the Republic, who entrusted responsibility to the Minister of the Interior, with whom effective coordination endeavors are already in progress. In addition, a gathering was recently organized with the participating Justices of the Supreme Court, and today’s assembly was convened with Representatives of the Congress of the Republic.

February 28, 2024