Publicado el 14 Octubre 2025
Voter Coercion Defeated: 2-Year Sentence for Election Corruption
The Prosecutor’s Office successfully secured a conviction for voter coercion based on evidence presented by the Electoral Crimes Prosecutor’s Office. The Criminal Court of Sentencing, Narcotrafficking, and Environmental Crimes in Quiché sentenced Selmo M. to two years in prison for the crime of voter coercion.
During the trial, the Prosecutor’s Office demonstrated that on June 24, 2023, the defendant, accompanied by two unidentified individuals, was engaged in political campaigning for the Visión con Valores (VIVA) party in Los Llanos, Patzojón Grande village, San Pedro Jocopilas, Quiché.
At the scene, the convicted individual was carrying a black bag containing Q15,300.25 in cash along with promotional materials from the VIVA party. According to the investigation, this money was used to offer Q300 to local residents in exchange for influencing their vote in favor of the party’s mayoral candidate.
The scheme was uncovered when local residents confronted the defendant, causing his accomplices to flee the area, leaving behind a camouflaged fabric bag containing Q50,000.00. In total, Q65,300.25 was seized, and the defendant concealed the source of the funds.
Guatemala, October 13, 2025