Mrs. María Consuelo Porras Argueta, Attorney General of the Republic and Chief of the Public Prosecutor’s Office, held a meeting with members of the Board of Directors of the Guatemalan Banking Association (ABG).

The meeting was convened with the aim of generating lines of coordination and articulating efforts so that, within their respective competencies, the articulation of support axes can be established for the benefit of the Guatemalan population.

This follows public awareness of various crimes related to the national financial system, affecting many Guatemalans, as well as a series of acts with characteristics of criminal offenses committed in the financial system, affecting banks, account holders, and users of financial services in the country.

The Attorney General informed that the Public Ministry has received several criminal complaints related to these events, which have been handled promptly, technically, and comprehensively, in order to provide a timely response to the Guatemalan population who have been violated in their rights.

As part of the actions taken to combat criminal acts related to financial services, the Public Ministry participated in a meeting with Congressional Bloc Leaders on February 28 to establish a coordination line between both institutions regarding Congressional Resolution 6-2024, which exposes the vulnerability situation faced by several Guatemalans, as victims of entities that, not being banking or financial institutions, harass and profit from their needs, subjecting them to abuses and even causing death.

In this regard, the Transnational Crimes Prosecutor’s Office and the Immediate Reaction Unit have been strengthened to combat the use of information and communication technologies for illicit activities, including scams. Efforts have also been made to mitigate scams generated by the use of information technologies, most of which are related to cybercrimes.

Similarly, usury offenses have been addressed through a multidisciplinary team including the Criminal Analysis Directorate and Prosecutors such as Women, Kidnappings, and Life, among others.

It was also informed that a specialized fiscal agency will soon be implemented to frontally, forcefully, and comprehensively combat cybercrimes.

Mr. Porras Argueta emphasized the importance of the Association of Banks and Private Financial Societies of the country joining the fight undertaken by the Public Ministry in favor of the Guatemalan people. «It is vital that our institutions can add the necessary efforts so that, through inter-institutional coordination and articulation, preventive actions can be taken, as well as the prosecution of crimes committed in the country’s financial system that severely affect the assets of Guatemalans,» Mrs. Porras said.

For their part, the directors of the Guatemalan Banking Association presented the actions taken to monitor cases of crimes related to the national financial system, including communication and awareness campaigns through disclosure campaigns. Meetings were also held with personnel from the Transnational Crimes Prosecutor’s Office and the Special Verification Intendancy, presenting cases of scams through phishing targeting clients and device theft.

As a result of the agreements reached, a Technical Working Group was established to strengthen and expedite the investigation of cases.

During the meeting, the actions implemented by the Public Ministry from 2018 to 2023 were also presented, which have allowed for significant efficiency in the justice sector. These include specialized attention models for vulnerable groups, such as the Integral Attention Model for Childhood and Adolescence, the Integral Attention Model for Juvenile Criminal Justice, and the Integral Attention Model for Women Victims of Violence Ix Kem-MAIMI, as well as the implementation of the Interinstitutional Center against Drug Trafficking in Guatemala (CICNAG).

Another important action presented is the reduction of 98% in backlog cases, the resolution of 96% of new cases entered since May 2018; also, ISO 9001-2015 Certification in 343 dependencies, the creation and implementation of 7 specialized units, and 100% coverage of the Criminal Investigations Directorate.

The Public Ministry reaffirms its commitment to continue working strongly and firmly within its competencies to promote the well-being of the Guatemalan population.

March 20, 2024