CANADA REITERATES SUPPORT FOR FIGHT AGAINST IMPUNITY

Guatemala, August 29, 2012. The Government of Canada, through the Canadian Agency for International Development, showed renewed support for the work of the International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG) by signing a cooperation agreement worth GTQ39,035,878.50

The document was signed by: Hugues R. Rousseau, Ambassador of Canada; Francisco Javier Dall'Anese Ruiz, CICIG Commissioner; and René Mauricio Valdés, Resident Coordinator of the United Nations System. Claudia Paz y Paz (Attorney General of the Republic) and Mauricio López Bonilla (Minister of the Interior) attended the event as special guests.

The Ambassador said: "The fight against impunity and the goal of achieving a safer and more just Guatemala are important challenges currently faced by our Guatemalan. Canada is committed to supporting the efforts made by the country to fight impunity and corruption and to change the legal system and strengthen the institutions."

Therefore, he stressed that CICIG is a key part of the fight because, since it began its work in the country, there has been great progress: new laws on security, a stronger justice system and the resolution of important cases. The diplomat acknowledged the Commissioner´s work and he stated that under the latter's leadership, CICIG has been working to transfer capacities to those Guatemalan institutions responsible for conducting criminal investigations with scientific and technical methods.

He continued by saying: "This is one of the most important areas of CICIG´s work in Guatemala [...]; furthermore, the involvement of the Public Prosecutor's Office (MP) and the Ministry of the Interior is helpful because their coordinated actions give focus to the work and the commitment of CICIG in the fight against impunity in Guatemala."

Joint work
The Commissioner, in his statement, expressed his belief that the economic support of the Government of Canada constitutes political backing for CICIG´s efforts to improve the quality of Guatemalan institutions and to grapple with security and justice in the country. The Commissioner affirmed: "The fight against impunity cannot be carried forward by any one sector. Therefore, the steps taken by the Attorney General and the Minister of the Interior demonstrate that being appropriately coordinated is the only means of successfully fighting crime."

He pointed out that the final link in the chain are the judges. They are God-like figures when they correctly apply the law and determine the future of those who have to be sent to prison. "However, they also are God-like figures when they violate ethics and legality, police and prosecutor work, and when they issue acquittals or unfair decisions that harm the country and the people; they deteriorate democracy and destroy the rule of law. We bear witness to the fact that many cases do not turn out as desired due to the ineffectiveness of some judges—whatever their level—who violate ethics and legality. In response, CICIG is proposing a comprehensive reform to give judges true independence and hence resolve cases in accordance with the Constitution of Guatemala and the demands of Guatemalans," he emphasized.

The Commissioner offered assurances that CICIG is not going to standstill whilst it remains in Guatemala fighting for a more transparent justice sector: "We will fight to achieve optimal sentences and we are going to rid the justice system of judges who turn a blind eye to the law. This will allow the country to draw itself nearer to the justice system it longs for and that all Guatemalans deserve."

Continued support
Attorney General Paz y Paz underlined the fact that the Government of Canada has supported Guatemalan justice for more than 10 years in strategic areas such as criminal investigations, the analysis unit and special methods. She added: "This support has saved lives and, thus, we would like to express our appreciation once more to the people of Canada for this new contribution; it is a gesture of solidarity towards our country."

Furthermore, she stated that this bilateral cooperation enhances the work conducted on a daily basis with CICIG to shed light on important cases and in the transfer of capacities to the Public Prosecutor's Office (MP) and other justice institutions. Paz y Paz said that they are currently working on strengthening the Analysis Unit (which is of great importance to the MP because it facilitates strategic criminal prosecution), the Security Department and the Witness Protection Program.

Mauricio López Bonilla, Minister of the Interior, underscored that CICIG´s contribution is to the benefit of all the justice institutions that work in unison and in a coordinated fashion to achieve effective criminal prosecution in the country: "Security cannot be achieved if justice institutions respond to criminal interest groups and break the law. If that is the case, crimes and abuse go unpunished; that is impunity."

René Mauricio Valdés, Resident Coordinator of the United Nations System in Guatemala, thanked the Government of Canada for their new contribution to the fight against impunity and, in this regard, he stressed that the current coordination between justice sector institutions is of utmost importance. He declared: "We are happy with the coordination and the work being carried out by the institutions, because it has led to a reduction in the murder rate in Guatemala, thus demonstrating that the authorities are working efficiently."