Case: Illicit Electoral Contributions of the Unionista Party

Case: Illicit Electoral Contributions of the Unionista Party

STATEMENT 030 | Photo: ElPeriódico.


Plans and strategies of the Unionista party to keep control of the capital city Municipality

On October 5, 2017, the Special Prosecutor’s Office against Impunity (Fiscalía Especial contra la Impunidad) of the Attorney General’s Office and the International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG) carried out several raids (16) at the town hall, including the premises of the Urban Planning Support Trust (Fideicomiso de Apoyo a la Planificación Urbana, FAPU), and the homes of people linked to the investigation. On July 12, 2018 other raids (18) were carried out in this municipality, and Financiera de Occidente.

A large number of documents and electronic devices were seized during these operations: more than eight thousand PowerPoint proselytizing presentations, reports, partisan political strategy plans, e-mails, and proposals for activities. The evidence obtained from these documents established the existence of programs designed within the city hall to increase the number of sympathizers or members of the Unionista Party (PU) and to cover the costs of those plans with municipal funds.

Facts

It was established that leaders of the Unionista Party (PU), with top positions in the city hall, together with municipal operating staff were part of an organized and systematic group existing from 2011 to 2015. This group carried out the plans and strategies designed to generate or increase the number of supporting members and votes for the Unionista Party. All this effort sustained over the years in favor of the party and the then-mayor Alvaro Enrique Arzú Irigoyen sought to ensure his victory in the elections of 2011 and 2015.

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Public funds of FAPU were used to finance the expenses of the party, as well as other campaign activities with electoral purposes, aiming to perpetuate the administration of Alvaro Enrique Arzú Irigoyen and the Unionista party.

It was possible to prove that the strategies and plans were carried out in two ways: through municipal activities with proselytizing content and direct proselytizing activities. Thus, they involved the staff of the town hall and international advisers, as well as municipal public funds.

The existence of two significant plans within the sustained partisan strategy was established:

  1. The so-called plan hormiga” (small-scale scheme), which turned municipal workers into door-to-door party representatives to convince people of voting for Unionista. They also carried out events and campaign activities in support of the PU and Alvaro Enrique Arzú Irigoyen.
  2. The so-called “Plan 8” designed to capture the votes of municipal workers in favor of PU and Alvaro Enrique Arzú Irigoyen through various activities (retreats, training activities, and the like). The purpose of this strategy was that workers would find within their close circle, new voters or followers for the party to have a multiplier effect on the vote.

The first plan was executed from 2011 to 2015, and the second, during the eight months before the 2015 election (hence its name).

The highest authorities received reports, and they supervised or were directly involved in the coordination efforts. The municipality covered their requirements and expenses through the material and human infrastructure, and public funds of FAPU.

For those funds to be used without restrictions, they would commit deceit and disguise payments through altered or false invoices. Those who made up the Technical Committee for the Trust – which approved the amounts- were also members of the PU, i.e., they “authorized” the election campaign expenses. Thus, Luisa Maria Salas Bedoya, Ricardo Quiñonez Lemus, Victor Manuel Alejandro Martinez Ruiz, and Luis Pedro Villanueva Miron presumably acted this way They were aware of the costs related to activities linked to partisan strategies, in particular, “plan hormiga” and “plan 8”, and they directly participated, coordinated, or supervised these plans.

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Based on the evidence obtained in the 34 raids carried out in October 2017 and July 2018, documentation and forensic data extracted from the electronic devices that were seized, cross-analysis and verification, testimonials and other means, it was established that there is enough evidence to prove that Unionista Party used the Municipality of Guatemala to organize a group that – from 2011 to 2015- systematically carried out plans and partisan strategies, and spent FAPU public funds to finance the activities of the Unionista Party and Alvaro Arzú’s administration to perpetuate them in the municipal power.

The following proceedings were carried out today:

NAME AND POSITION

(At the time of the events)

CRIME

PROCEEDING

Pedro Licinio Ruano Roldán (Financial Manager of FAPU)

– Illicit electoral contributions
– Fraud
– Embezzlement

Summoned

Luisa Maria Silvana Salas (Chairperson of the Technical Committee of FAPU and Alderperson I of the City Council)

– Illicit electoral contributions
– Fraud
– Embezzlement

Summoned

Luis Pedro Villanueva Miron (Member of FAPU’s Technical Committee and Alderperson IV of the Municipal Council )

– Illicit electoral contributions
– Fraud
– Embezzlement

Arrest

Carlos Alejandro Miranda (administrator and organizer of campaign activities and Assistant in the Social Development Department)

– Illicit electoral contributions
– Fraud
– Embezzlement

Summoned

Héctor Adolfo Cifuentes (Secretary General of Unionista Party and the Municipality)

– Illicit electoral contributions
– Fraud
– Embezzlement

Arrest

The following preliminary hearing requests were introduced:

NAME AND POSITION

(At the time of the events)

CRIME/OFFENSE

Ricardo Quiñónez Lemus

(Deputy Mayor of Guatemala City, Councilman I of the Municipal Council and Alderperson II of the Technical Committee of the FAPU).

– Illicit electoral contributions
– Fraud
– Embezzlement

Victor Manuel Martinez Ruiz

(Alderperson II of the Municipality and Member I in the Technical Committee of the FAPU)

– Illicit electoral contributions
– Fraud
– Embezzlement

Lectura de interés:  MP and CICIG files request to lift immunity to Guatemala's President, Jimmy Morales, and congresswoman Nineth Montenegro

Download pdf here (Spanish version).

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