By Sofia Menchu
GUATEMALA CITY, April 21 (Reuters) – Guatemalan Attorney General Consuelo Porras, a leading adversary of President Bernardo Arevalo who has faced international sanctions, is set to step down next month after losing her re-election bid.
A commission of jurists left Porras off the official shortlist of candidates after four rounds of voting late on Monday, depriving her of a chance at a third four-year term.
Since assuming the role in 2018, Porras has been accused within Guatemala and abroad of leading a rollback of anti-corruption efforts that had once made Guatemala an international case study in prosecuting impunity. Her tenure was marked by the prosecution or exile of judges, prosecutors and journalists linked to past anti-corruption cases.
The U.S., Canada, the European Union and others sanctioned her for alleged corruption, persecution of human rights advocates and efforts to undermine Arevalo’s 2023 election win. The United Nations said last month that Porras may have been involved in dozens of illegal adoptions in the 1980s.
At a press conference last week, Arevalo said Porras could not be confirmed “for a position in which she has already proven that she is not only unsuitable, but also a danger to the nation.”
Porras defended her credentials before the commission in her April 9 testimony, saying that the “requirements regarding suitability, competence, and good character for the position have always, always been met.”
Porras and Arevalo did not reply to Reuters requests for comment on Tuesday. Porras can still file legal challenges to contest Monday’s vote and attempt to be included on the list of finalists, although her time is limited, as Arevalo must appoint a new attorney general by May 16.
(Reporting by Sofia Menchu; Additional reporting by Brendan O’Boyle; Writing by Jorge Ollero; Editing by Brendan O’Boyle and Howard Goller)
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