The Constitutional Court (CC) in Guatemala suspended the expulsion of the head of a United Nations commission against impunity, ordered by President Jimmy Morales.
After an exhaustive analysis, the Constitutional Court grants the requested provisional protection and permanently suspend the claimed expulsion against the former Colombian magistrate, Iván Velásquez,”
said at a press conference President of the CC, Francisco de Mata.
Last Sunday, President Morales ordered the expulsion of Velásquez. He cited articles from the Guatemalan Constitution and the Vienna Convention on the Prohibition of Diplomats from Engaging in Internal Affairs of the State.
Velásquez is the head of the International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG), an entity attached to the United Nations that reinforced its presence in April 2015 when uncovering a corruption scandal in customs that forced the resignation of then president Otto Pérez, designated as head of a network that charged bribes for tax evasion.
The attempt by Morales caused a deep crisis, the worst in its criticized administration, which began in 2015. The ministers of Health and Labor, Lucrecia Hernández and Leticia Teleguario, resigned their offices, as well as other government officials.