Guatemala president seeks constitutional backing to fire top prosecutor

The Guatemalan government on Monday sought constitutional court backing for President Bernardo Arevalo's bid to remove the country's top prosecutor he accuses of plotting to oust him.

Consuelo Porras, listed as corrupt and undemocratic by the US Justice Department, was appointed by Arevalo's predecessor and led efforts to have the newcomer's election victory overturned.

She has rejected repeated requests from Arevalo to hand in her resignation.

Her mandate runs until May 2026, and Arevalo cannot legally fire her without showing just cause under the law.

Presidency official Juan Guerrero said the government has now asked the Constitutional Court to determine "whether Consuelo Porras meets the requirement of honorability" to continue in her post.

Guerrero said the government considers that she does not, because "she is not committed to the fight against corruption" and "consented to an attempt to break constitutional order" with her crusade against Arevalo.

Former lawmaker, diplomat and sociologist Arevalo, 65, pulled off a major upset when he swept from obscurity to win elections last August, firing up voters weary of graft in one of Latin America's poorest nations.

He took office in January after what he termed an attempted coup d'etat by prosecutors closely aligned with the country's entrenched political and economic ruling class.

They tried to overturn the election results and strip Arevalo, who enjoys strong support from the international community, of immunity from prosecution.

His Semilla (Seed) party also had its registration suspended on fraud allegations widely seen as trumped up.

Arevalo's government in February asked the Supreme Court to revoke Porras's immunity from prosecution for alleged breach of duties.

The court has yet to rule in that case.

"We want to make it clear that the government continues to use the appropriate legal and political mechanisms to replace the attorney general," said Guerrero.

Porras was sanctioned in 2021 by the United States, which added her to a list of "corrupt" and "undemocratic" people prohibited from entering that country.

In February, the European Union also imposed sanctions on her.

Porras, 70, was appointed in 2018 by then-president Jimmy Morales and to a second four-year term by his successor Alejandro Giammattei in 2022.

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