MAYOR OF ANTIGUA ARRESTED

Guatemala, September 13, 2012. Today, in a joint operation between the National Civil Police (PNC), the Public Prosecutor's Office (MP) and CICIG, the Mayor of La Antigua Guatemala, Adolfo Vivar Marroquín, was arrested for allegedly committing acts of corruption in the La Antigua municipality.

In addition to the other operations (13 searches of premises), various arrests were made, including those of municipality officials and the mayor's relatives. They are accused of criminal association, extortion, fraud, a special case of fraud, money laundering and interfering with the course of justice.

CICIG has worked together with the Public Prosecutor's Office (MP)—the Money Laundering Prosecutor's Bureau—for more than a year on the case investigation, and it has also participated as a complementary prosecutor.

This case revolves around various members of a criminal organization who, through the Mayor of Antigua Guatemala, allegedly took advantage of the municipality's public treasury to award contracts to next of kin. This criminal structure operated by establishing 10 ghost companies, which were awarded overvalued construction projects and by creating statements with false information in order to make payments for services that had not been rendered and hence defraud the municipality.

The arrested persons—who have appeared before Judge Miguel Ángel Gálvez of Court B for High-risk Matters—are:

• Adolfo Vivar Marroquín, Mayor of La Antigua.
• Leonel Rodrigo Amado Molina, brother-in-law of the mayor.
• Adriana del Carmen Castillo de Coloma.
• Ana Elisa Coloma Gaitán de Amado.
• Aurelio Cuy Chávez.
• José Armando Arrecís Ramírez.
• Claudia Suzzette Vela.
• Josué Renato de la Roca Santana.
• Boris Alexander Asencio, financial director of the municipality.
• María Mercedes Reyes Carías, head of a Banrural branch.
• César Castellanos Alvarez.