GUATEMALA CITY (Reuters) - Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales said on Friday his government has decided not to renew the mandate of a U.N.-backed anti-graft commission that helped bring down his predecessor and also tried to have Morales impeached.

Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales address to the media next to Vice President Jafeth Cabrera at the National Palace in Guatemala City, Guatemala, August 31, 2018. Guatemalan Presidency/Handout via REUTERS

Guatemala gave the commission a year to exit the country.

Working with Guatemala’s attorney general, the International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG) in 2017 sought to prosecute Morales, a former comedian, over illegal financing allegations during his election campaign two years earlier.

That move followed separate CICIG graft probes into members of the president’s family. Morales tried to throw the CICIG out of the country at the time, prompting criticism at home and from the United Nations and the U.S. State Department.

That bid failed, but Morales argued the CICIG needed to leave because its members were “violating” Guatemala’s laws and “sowing judicial terror” with “selective justice.”

“We have officially notified the Secretary General of the United Nations that we will not renew the mandate of the CICIG,” Morales told a news conference in Guatemala City.

The CICIG’s mandate in Guatemala will expire on Sept. 3, 2019, said a letter Morales sent to U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres. The CICIG had a year to transfer technical capacities to Guatemalan authorities and withdraw, it said.

Though Congress voted not to impeach the president in 2017, Morales’ credibility was damaged due to the CICIG probe.

He has since sought to align himself more closely with the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump.

In December, Guatemala was one of a handful of nations to back Trump’s decision to move the U.S. embassy in Israel to Jerusalem in a vote at the United Nations.

Trump has also been critical of the United Nations.

Morales declared CICIG head Ivan Velasquez “persona non grata” in August 2017 and ordered him to leave Guatemala, but the nation’s top court suspended the decision.

CICIG spokesman Matias Ponce told reporters the body appreciated the support of the international community and civil society and would keep the public informed about its next steps.

Morales won office in 2015 running on a platform of honest governance after his predecessor, Otto Perez Molina, was forced to resign and was imprisoned in a multimillion-dollar graft case led by the CICIG. Perez is still in prison while on trial.</s>GUATEMALA CITY (Reuters) - Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales said on Friday his government had decided not to renew the mandate of the International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG), a U.N.-backed anti-corruption body that has targeted him and his predecessor.

“We have officially notified the Secretary General of the United Nations that we will not renew the mandate of the CICIG,” Morales told a news conference.

Morales has had a tumultuous relationship with the CICIG, which attempted to have him impeached for alleged corruption.

His predecessor as Guatemalan president, Otto Perez, was removed from office due to a graft probe led by the CICIG, and is still in prison while on trial.</s>GUATEMALA CITY — The Latest on Guatemala’s expulsion of the U.N.-sponsored commission investigating corruption (all times local):

Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales says he is not renewing the mandate of a U.N.-sponsored commission that has pressed a number of high-profile corruption probes in the country, including against him.

Morales says the time “has arrived” to transfer the commission’s capacities to Guatemalan institutions.

He adds that the country has notified the U.N. secretary-general of the decision to “immediately” begin that transfer.

Morales made the announcement Friday speaking in front of military officials as soldiers surrounded the commission’s headquarters in Guatemala City.</s>GUATEMALA CITY (AP) — President Jimmy Morales on Friday shut down a crusading U.N.-sponsored anti-graft commission that has pressed a number of high-profile corruption probes in the country — including one pending against him over purported illicit campaign financing.

Speaking in front of civilian leaders as military vehicles surrounded the commission’s headquarters in the capital, Morales said he had informed the U.N. secretary-general of his decision to revoke the body’s mandate and “immediately” begin transferring its capacities to Guatemalan institutions.

The decision caps a long history of friction between the government and the International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala, or Cicig for its initials in Spanish.

In August 2017, Morales announced that he was expelling the commission’s chief, Ivan Velasquez, but that was quickly blocked by Guatemala’s top court.

At the time Morales declared Velasquez a persona non grata and fired his foreign minister for refusing to carry out the order to expel him, before later backing off and saying he would obey the court’s decision.

Morales accused the commission Friday of “violating our laws, inducing people and institutions to participate in acts of corruption and impunity,” and “selective criminal prosecution with an ideological bias.”

“Selective justice has been used to intimidate and terrorize the citizenry,” he charged. “Judicial independence has been violated, with the intention of manipulating justice, actions that attack the presumption of innocence and due process.”

Morales is suspected of receiving at least $1 million in undeclared contributions during the 2015 campaign. He has denied wrongdoing.

Last week the Supreme Court allowed a request brought by Cicig and Guatemalan prosecutors to strip his immunity from prosecution to go to Congress for consideration. If 105 lawmakers vote in favor, it could open him up to investigation for possible illicit campaign financing.

Cicig spokesman Matias Ponce told The Associated Press that at least 12 military vehicles were outside the commission’s facility, a deployment that Guatemalan human rights prosecutor Jordan Rodas called an “oversize and intimidating presence.”

“It is an unnecessary military movement that reminds us of days past when there were coups, and now we are a democracy — nobody is above the law,” Rodas said, adding that he would work to guarantee the safety of the commissioner and his team.

“We sincerely regret the great mistake that the president made public in not renewing Cicig’s mandate,” he continued. “We are grateful for its valuable contribution in the country to the fight against corruption and impunity.”

The commission’s work with Guatemalan prosecutors has led to high-profile graft probes that ensnared dozens of politicians and businesspeople and even led to the downfall of former President Otto Perez Molina and his then-vice president.

The military deployment came the same day a U.N. human rights team was expelled from the Central American nation of Nicaragua after the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights published a critical report accusing President Daniel Ortega’s government of violent repression of opposition protests.

There was no immediate indication of a link between the two events.</s>MEXICO CITY—Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales on Friday shut down a U.N.-backed antigraft agency that has locked up scores of leading politicians in the country and was investigating the president for alleged illegal campaign financing.

Mr. Morales said he had informed the U.N. that he would not renew the mandate of the U.N. Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala, known as the CICIG, when it expires in Sept. 2019. Mr. Morales asked the agency to immediately begin transferring its capacities to local prosecutors.</s>Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales on Friday announced he was shutting down a UN mission investigating corruption in his country, accusing it of interfering in its internal affairs.

The move to muzzle the International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG) came shortly after it made a joint request with the state prosecutor's office to lift his presidential immunity as part of an investigation into campaign finances.

Both the Commission and prosecutors presented evidence that Morales' FCN-Nacion party failed to report nearly one million dollars in financing to electoral authorities during his successful 2015 presidential campaign.

"We have officially notified the secretary general of the United Nations of the non-renewal of the CICIG's mandate and the immediate transfer of the capabilities to the corresponding institutions," Morales said during a ceremony in the capital.

The Commission's spokesman Matias Ponce, told reporters that the body had received the support of the international community and social sectors in Guatemala, but he avoided any reference to Morales' announcement.

Set up in 2006, the mission, known by its Spanish acronym CICIG, is an independent body with investigative and prosecutorial powers. Its success in tackling corruption has inspired calls for similar bodies to be set up in other Central American countries.

The country's Congress this week installed a commission of five lawmakers to study the request to lift Morales' immunity so that he can stand trial over the alleged illegal campaign financing.

On two previous occasions, Congress rejected requests from the prosecutor's office and the CICIG to remove his immunity.</s>GUATEMALA CITY (AP) - Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales on Friday shut down a crusading U.N.-sponsored anti-graft commission that has pressed a number of high-profile corruption probes - including one pending against the president himself over purported illicit campaign financing.

Speaking in front of civilian and military leaders, Morales said he had informed the U.N. secretary-general of his decision to revoke the body’s mandate and “immediately” begin transferring its capacities to Guatemalan institutions.

Minutes before the surprise announcement, U.S.-donated army vehicles that Guatemala uses to fight drug and other smuggling were deployed to the commission’s headquarters in the capital in what critics called an attempt at intimidation.

The decision caps a long history of friction between the president and the International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala, or CICIG for its initials in Spanish.

In August 2017, Morales announced that he was expelling the commission’s chief, Ivan Velasquez, but that move was quickly blocked by Guatemala’s top court.

At the time Morales declared Velasquez a persona non grata and fired his foreign minister for refusing to carry out the order to expel him, before later backing off and saying he would obey the court’s decision.

Morales accused the commission Friday of “violating our laws, inducing people and institutions to participate in acts of corruption and impunity,” and “selective criminal prosecution with an ideological bias.”

“Selective justice has been used to intimidate and terrorize the citizenry,” he charged. “Judicial independence has been violated, with the intention of manipulating justice, actions that attack the presumption of innocence and due process.”

The announcement was promptly met with criticism from human rights officials and advocates.

“We sincerely regret the great mistake that the president made public in not renewing CICIG’s mandate,” Guatemalan human rights prosecutor Jordan Rodas said. “We are grateful for its valuable contribution in the country to the fight against corruption and impunity.”

Morales is suspected of receiving at least $1 million in undeclared contributions during the 2015 campaign. He has denied wrongdoing.

Last week the Supreme Court allowed a request brought by CICIG and Guatemalan prosecutors to strip his immunity from prosecution to go to Congress for consideration. If 105 lawmakers vote in favor, it could open him up to investigation for possible illicit campaign financing.

“I think there’s a conflict of interest, and an attempt by President Morales to try to protect his own interests in light of the ongoing investigation and probe,” said Adriana Beltran, director for citizen security at the Washington Office on Latin America, which advocates for human rights in the region.

Beltran said CICIG and Velasquez have made remarkable progress in strengthening the rule of law in Guatemala “despite constant attacks and efforts to try to undermine (their) work,” and that “there’s still much more that needs to be done.”

The commission released security camera video showing perhaps a dozen military jeeps taking up position curbside outside the headquarters Friday, some with soldiers manning machine gun turrets. CICIG spokesman Matias Ponce said they were there for a few minutes, and later returned and drove by without stopping. Ponce also told The Associated Press that police and army vehicles intercepted a car carrying a team from the commission on a street in the capital.

Rodas called the deployment an “oversize and intimidating presence.”

“It is an unnecessary military movement that reminds us of days past when there were coups, and now we are a democracy - nobody is above the law,” he said, adding that he would work to guarantee the safety of the commissioner and his team.

Prosecutors’ spokeswoman Julia Barrera said an investigation was opened “to see if any crime was committed” by deploying the vehicles.

The commission’s work with Guatemalan prosecutors has led to high-profile graft probes that ensnared dozens of politicians and businesspeople and even led to the downfall of former President Otto Perez Molina and his then-vice president.

The military deployment came the same day a U.N. human rights team was expelled from the Central American nation of Nicaragua after the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights published a critical report accusing President Daniel Ortega’s government of violent repression of opposition protests.

There was no immediate indication of a link between the two events.</s>GUATEMALA CITY (AP) - The Latest on Guatemala's expulsion of the U.N.-sponsored commission investigating corruption (all times local):

Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales says he is not renewing the mandate of a U.N.-sponsored commission that has pressed a number of high-profile corruption probes in the country, including against him.

Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales speaks to the nation in a televised address, surrounded by military officers, in Guatemala City, Friday, Aug. 31, 2018. Morales said he is not renewing the mandate of a U.N.-sponsored commission that has pressed a number of high-profile corruption probes in the country, including against him. (AP Photo/Oliver de Roos)

Morales says the time "has arrived" to transfer the commission's capacities to Guatemalan institutions.

He adds that the country has notified the U.N. secretary-general of the decision to "immediately" begin that transfer.

Morales made the announcement Friday speaking in front of military officials as soldiers surrounded the commission's headquarters in Guatemala City.

Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales speaks to the nation in a televised address, surrounded by military officers, in Guatemala City, Friday, Aug. 31, 2018. Morales said he is not renewing the mandate of a U.N.-sponsored commission that has pressed a number of high-profile corruption probes in the country, including against him. (AP Photo/Oliver de Roos)

Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales speaks to the nation in a televised address, surrounded by military officers, in Guatemala City, Friday, Aug. 31, 2018. Morales said he is not renewing the mandate of a U.N.-sponsored commission that has pressed a number of high-profile corruption probes in the country, including against him. (AP Photo/Oliver de Roos)</s>(New York) – President Jimmy Morales’s decision to end the mandate of a UN-backed investigative body is a major blow to efforts to fight corruption, abuse, and impunity in Guatemala, Human Rights Watch said today.

On August 31, 2018, Morales announced that he would not request an extension of the mandate of the International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG), which expires in September 2019. CICIG is investigating allegations that Morales’s presidential campaign received illegal funding and is participating in the prosecution of his son and brother on fraud charges. Morales made the announcement flanked by dozens of top military officials, shortly after 12 military jeeps were stationed in front of the CICIG’s office in Guatemala City.

If anyone still had any doubts about which side Morales was on, today he made it crystal clear he’s cast his lot with the forces of corruption and impunity.

“President Morales has been working for more than year to shield himself and his family from justice,” said Daniel Wilkinson, Americas managing director at Human Rights Watch. “He is now pulling the plug on the UN-sponsored commission responsible for the investigations.”

Since CICIG began investigating Morales for possible corruption, the president has waged a relentless campaign to undermine its work, Human Rights Watch said.

In August 2017, Morales ordered the expulsion of CICIG Commissioner Iván Velásquez, days after CICIG and the Guatemalan attorney general announced they were investigating Morales for illicit campaign financing. Guatemala’s Constitutional Court blocked the expulsion. On August 10, 2018, CICIG and the attorney general presented a request to Congress to strip Morales of his immunity from prosecution.

CICIG is one of the most effective anti-corruption mechanisms in Latin America today, Human Rights Watch said. Since it began operation in 2007, Guatemala has made unprecedented progress in promoting justice for corruption and abuse of power. It has obtained the indictments of four former presidents, and of more than a dozen former ministers and even more ex-congressmen on corruption charges. CICIG’s investigations have also led to the conviction of at least 58 people involved in six different drug cases.

In an August 31 letter to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, Morales wrote that CICIG should focus its remaining time on transferring “technical skills” to local institutions. Given CICIG’s extensive caseload and chronic delays in the Guatemalan courts, it is extremely unlikely this and other major cases will be resolved within a year.

“If anyone still had any doubts about which side Morales was on, today he made it crystal clear he’s cast his lot with the forces of corruption and impunity,” Wilkinson said. “When the commission is gone, the vital but precarious progress Guatemala has made in strengthening the rule of law will stall and very likely start to unravel.”</s>GUATEMALA CITY -- Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales announced Friday that he is shutting down a crusading United Nations-sponsored anti-graft commission that pressed a number of high-profile corruption probes, including one pending against the president himself over purported illicit campaign financing.

Speaking in front of a host of mostly military and police leaders, Morales said he had informed the U.N. secretary-general of his decision not to renew the body's mandate and "immediately" begin transferring its operations to Guatemalan institutions. The government later clarified in a statement that the commission will remain in the country through the end of its current two-year term, which ends Sept. 3, 2019, during the transition period.

The decision caps a long history of friction between the president and the International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala.

In August 2017, Morales announced that he was expelling the commission's chief, Ivan Velasquez, but that move was quickly blocked by Guatemala's top court.

At the time Morales declared Velasquez a persona non grata and fired his foreign minister for refusing to carry out the order to expel him, before later backing off and saying he would obey the court's decision.

Morales accused the commission Friday of "violating our laws, inducing people and institutions to participate in acts of corruption and impunity" and "selective criminal prosecution with an ideological bias."

"Selective justice has been used to intimidate and terrorize the citizenry," he charged. "Judicial independence has been violated, with the intention of manipulating justice, actions that attack the presumption of innocence and due process."

The announcement was promptly met with criticism from human rights officials and advocates.

"We sincerely regret the great mistake that the president made public in not renewing [the International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala's] mandate," Guatemalan human rights prosecutor Jordan Rodas said. "We are grateful for its valuable contribution in the country to the fight against corruption and impunity."

U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy, a Democrat from Vermont and staunch commission supporter, said that in light of the announcement, the U.S. Congress would "reassess" future aid to Guatemala and its military.

"It now falls to the Guatemalan people, the judiciary and the Attorney General to ensure that this attempt to perpetuate impunity does not succeed," Leahy said in a statement. "It is critical that [the International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala] ... continues to carry out its mandate."

Morales is suspected of receiving at least $1 million in undeclared contributions during the 2015 campaign. He has denied wrongdoing.

Last week the Supreme Court allowed a request brought by the commission and Guatemalan prosecutors to strip his immunity from prosecution to go to Congress for consideration. If 105 lawmakers vote in favor, it could open him up to investigation for possible illicit campaign financing.

"I think there's a conflict of interest, and an attempt by President Morales to try to protect his own interests in light of the ongoing investigation and probe," said Adriana Beltran, director for citizen security at the Washington Office on Latin America, which advocates for human rights in the region.

Beltran said the International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala and Velasquez have made remarkable progress in strengthening the rule of law in Guatemala "despite constant attacks and efforts to try to undermine [their] work," and that "there's still much more that needs to be done."

At least 12 military vehicles were outside the commission's headquarters Friday, and commission spokesman Matias Ponce said that police and army vehicles intercepted a car carrying a team from the commission on a street in the capital.

Prosecutors' spokeswoman Julia Barrera said an investigation was opened "to see if any crime was committed" by deploying the vehicles.

The U.S. Embassy said in a statement that the United States had donated the jeeps to help Guatemala fight crime and drug trafficking in border areas, and said it "is closely monitoring that all equipment donated for law enforcement in Guatemala is used appropriately and on the terms of the agreements under which they were donated."

Information for this article was contributed by Peter Orsi of The Associated Press.
Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales announces that he will not renew the mandate of the International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG) and orders the immediate transfer of functions to the Public Ministry and the Ministry of the Interior. The mandate of the UN anti-corruption commission ends on September 3, 2019.