Project profile — Institutional Support to the International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala - 2018-2019

The expected outcomes of this project include: (1) strengthened State institutions responsible for the gender-sensitive criminal investigation and prosecution of organized criminal networks involved in corruption and other crimes that undermine the rule of law and security - including those against women and girls; and (2) improved justice sector gender-sensitive response mechanisms to reduce impunity.

Results achieved by the International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG) through the support of the Government of Canada and other international donors, until March 2019 include: (1) criminal investigations of 107 members of twelve criminal structures, including 88 men and 19 women, that culminated in formal accusations by CICIG and the Guatemalan Public Ministry . The cases presented before the Guatemalan courts focussed on corruption in health, transport, the military industry, municipalities, congress, and the justice system, as well as illicit electoral financing and extrajudicial killings and torture; and (2) CICIG developed technical proposals for criminal code reform on reduced penalties for accepting charges, and on reducing the use of preventative detention. CICIG also worked with civil society to propose criminal code reforms on human and sex trafficking. Results achieved through the Government of Canada’s continuous support to CICIG, together with the Guatemalan Public Ministry, over more than 11 years through four projects, include: (1) identified and dismantled over 60 criminal structures linked to the State; (2) presented 34 legal reforms to strengthen the Guatemalan justice system; (3) put forward more than 100 criminal accusations against organized crime groups; processed more than 680 people and achieved 310 convictions; (4) CICIG has maintained a 70% citizen approval rate over its lifetime and is strongly supported by civil society organizations including women's, Indigenous, LGBTI, human rights and justice organizations; and (5) CICIG has installed new investigative capacities in the Public Ministry and provided technical assistance to other State dependencies such as the Supreme Electoral Tribunal, the Ministries of Health, Education, Interior, the Judicial Organism and the National Tax Authority.