CICIG Celebrates Two-Year Anniversary with Compounding

S E C R E T GUATEMALA 000925 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 2019/10/05 TAGS: SNAR PGOV KCRM KJUS KDEM GT SUBJECT: CICIG Celebrates Two-Year Anniversary with Compounding Budgetary Woes REF: A) 08 GUATEMALA 1187; B) 08 GUATEMALA 387; C) 09 GUATEMALA 134 D) 09 GUATEMALA 324; E) 08 GUATEMALA 1550; F) 09 GUATEMALA 734 G) 09 GUATEMALA 407; H) 09 GUATEMALA 884; I) 09 GUATEMALA 913 CLASSIFIED BY: Stephen McFarland, Ambassador, STATE, POL/ECON; REASON: 1.4(B),(D) E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/05/2019 Classified By: PolOff Gina M. Werth, reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (S) SUMMARY: On September 4, the UN-led International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG) celebrated its two-year anniversary and the approval of another two-year mandate. CICIG Commissioner Carlos Castresana summarized CICIG's successes, including numerous CICIG-led investigations, its role as co-plaintiff in four criminal cases and various proposed legal reforms. While CICIG has made tremendous strides in the last two years, much work is left to be done and will require the active participation of the Guatemalan government in order to succeed. Despite the good news on the work CICIG has completed to date, CICIG's Chief of Administration informed post on September 23 that CICIG is facing serious financial difficulties. Donor nations have, so far, failed to deliver promised funds. Additionally, the prospect of establishing a CICIG satellite office in New York has been met with a lukewarm reception, yet CICIG believes it is necessary to ensure the functionality of its operation. END SUMMARY. The Creation of CICIG -------------- ¶2. (U) On September 4, 2009, the UN-led International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG) celebrated its two-year anniversary, reviewing its successes and the road ahead. CICIG, established in September 2007 (Ref A),was created to investigate and prosecute cases involving the criminal penetration of the state and to advance rule of law reforms. CICIG's staff has grown to 156, both Guatemalans and internationals. In July, Congress extended CICIG's original two-year mandate to September 4, 2011. CICIG Commissioner Carlos Castresana's personal mandate was also renewed until 2011. The anniversary press conference was intended to review the numerous cases, investigations and reforms already brought by CICIG and also emphasize the need for further cooperation and support from the Government of Guatemala (GOG) and the international community. CICIG as Co-Plaintiff -------------- ¶3. (U) In reviewing CICIG's work over the past two years, Commissioner Castresana noted that CICIG currently acts as co-plaintiff, with the GOG, in four criminal cases. The first case involved a clash between two armed narcotrafficking groups in the Zacapa department in March 2008 which left eleven people dead and two wounded (Ref B). The pre-trial hearing was held in July 2009; the date of the first trial hearing has yet to be set. The second case, brought against Guatemala's former chief homicide prosecutor, Alvaro Matus, involved accusations of abuse of authority in the murder investigation of former advisor to the Ministry of Government Victor Rivera (Ref C). The case now involves an additional four defendants from the Attorney General's (MP) office, charged with conspiracy and obstruction of justice. The legal process has been suspended for jurisdictional issues and CICIG and the GOG are waiting to proceed. The third case involves the alleged embezzlement of Q120 million (USD 15.2 million) of the Defense Ministry's budget by former President Portillo while holding office in 2001. Q30 million (USD 3.8 million) were allegedly deposited in the former President's family accounts in Europe. The investigation also involves other high-level government officials who may have appropriated more than Q400 million (USD 50.8 million). The case is still awaiting trial (Ref D). The fourth case involves four National Civilian Police (PNC) officers accused of illegal detention and aggravated robbery. The trial is currently underway. CICIG Investigations -------------- ¶4. (S) Castresana said CICIG has 39 ongoing investigations aimed at uncovering illegal security forces linked with government entities and their officials. The cases which CICIG discussed at its press conference included: (1) the murder of 16 people on a bus from Nicaragua in November 2008 (Ref E); (2) the murder of former Ministry of Government advisor Rivera, in which CICIG is co-plaintiff in the criminal case; (3) a case linked to the Portillo criminal prosecution in which two Defense Ministry officials are accused of embezzlement; (4) a narcotrafficker's murder of three female adolescents in the Zacapa department in April 2008; (5) the murder of attorney Rodrigo Rosenberg in May 2009 (Ref F); (6) the murder of Khalil Musa and his daughter Marjorie Musa Maldonado in April 2009 and; (7) the confrontation between police officers and alleged drug traffickers which resulted in the death of five PNC agents and the confiscation of over 370 kilos of cocaine, weapons and vehicles (Ref G). Legal Reforms -------------- ¶5. (U) CICIG has also sought to bring about legal reforms in the areas of legal possession of weapons and ammunition, use of audio and visual media in witness statements, witness protection, plea-bargaining, and high-impact courts. CICIG has been most successful in advocating for plea-bargaining legislation and the creation of high-impact courts, which will provide additional security measures for the witnesses, prosecutors and judges involved in prosecuting high-profile, dangerous cases (Ref H). However, these new measures have yet to be fully implemented. The Challenges that Lay Ahead -------------- ¶6. (U) During his remarks, Commissioner Castresana noted that this is a "historic moment for Guatemala" to attack corruption and impunity. He added that all three branches of government must do their part as CICIG cannot do it alone. Castresana stressed that the international community's support is still needed in order to succeed. President Alvaro Colom thanked CICIG for its efforts and added that Castresana has the government's full support, citing that "CICIG has done a lot to ensure that democracy comes to Guatemala." Private Request for More Donor Support -------------- ¶7. (SBU) Despite its achievements, CICIG's Chief of Administration, Luis Oliveros, told visiting desk officer and PolOff on September 23 that CICIG's finances were in dire straits. Oliveros stated that it costs approximately 1.3 million USD monthly to run CICIG; 80 to 85 percent of those funds are for employee salaries. CICIG has quickly burned through its initial donor monies by increasing staff and related activities. Oliveros estimated that an additional 37 million USD are needed to cover CICIG's expenses through 2011. Three donor conferences were held throughout the summer of 2009 and another is set to occur imminently; however, CICIG still lacks the funding it needs to fulfill its mandate through September 2011. Additionally, Oliveros urged donor countries to establish a payment schedule so that funds can be budgeted in advance. Oliveros also asked when the USG's donation of 3 million USD for FY 2009 would arrive. Satellite Office? -------------- ¶8. (SBU) Oliveros also responded to inquiries about a possible CICIG satellite office in another country, likely in New York, in order to be close to UN and U.S. law enforcement authorities. (Note: Oliveros repeatedly stated that the satellite office has only been broached with a few close partners, namely, the U.S., Canada and Germany. End Note.) Oliveros cited the need for a secure communications database and IT infrastructure as one of the reasons for a CICIG satellite office. Additionally, he argued that using a satellite office would allow some CICIG officials (Oliveros estimated about 15 employees) to leave Guatemala and work remotely, thereby decreasing the need for security staff for those employees. Finally, Oliveros eluded that Commissioner Castresana might work from the CICIG satellite office part-time, causing a decrease in his security detail as well. Location, Location, Location... -------------- ¶9. (SBU) Oliveros stated that the Dominican Republic, PANAMA and the U.S. were all considered as possible locations for the CICIG satellite office. However, the U.S. has the technical capacity and security apparatus in place to meet CICIG's needs. Oliveros estimated that a New York-based satellite office would cost 7.6 million USD for a two-year period. However, a Miami-based satellite office would cost 4.3 million USD for two years. An advance team was sent to Miami to conduct an assessment and another team will go to Houston. Oliveros expects Houston to cost nearly as much as Miami. Oliveros also estimated that it would take about six weeks to establish a CICIG satellite office in the U.S. and another six weeks to fully staff it. However, Oliveros noted that during his initial conversations with donors about a satellite office, the donors either remarked that it was too expensive or said nothing at all. Nevertheless, Oliveros stressed that the office was needed and that the 37 million USD requested from the donor community did not/not include costs of a satellite office in the U.S. 10.(C) Comment: CICIG's investigations have started to produce conclusive findings and arrests in high-profile cases such as the Rosenberg murder and the Nicaraguan bus massacre (Refs I & E). Among its many accomplishments are cleaning out and helping to train staff at the Attorney General's Office, getting Congress to pass legislation providing authorities much needed, modern law enforcement tools, and exposing rampant corruption in the Guatemalan state. CICIG, and its proposal for a new satellite office, merit our continuing support. End Comment. MCFARLAND