Guatemala Justice and Transparency Project Annual Report (October 1, 2020 – September 30, 2021)

The project aims to improve the effectiveness and transparency of the justice system in Guatemala. During the fiscal year 2021, the project continued to face challenges such as governance insecurity and the COVID-19 pandemic. The Supreme Court of Justice (CSJ) and the Constitutional Court (CC) experienced leadership instability, with the nomination of magistrates remaining at an impasse in Congress. The CC also faced vacancies and legal concerns surrounding the 2021 nomination process. The Public Ministry (MP) entered a crisis following the dismissal of Prosecutor Juan Francisco Sandoval from the Special Prosecutor's Office against Impunity (FECI), leading to the suspension of cooperation from several donor countries, including the United States. Despite these challenges, the Justice and Transparency Project made progress in developing and implementing its work plan. Under Objective 1, Improve the Public Ministry's ability to adequately investigate and prosecute criminal cases, the project supported the MP in expanding its coverage through 158 new municipal prosecutor's offices, bringing coverage to all 340 Guatemalan municipalities. The project also provided technical assistance to targeted specialized and district prosecutor's offices, including the Prosecutor's Offices against Illegal Migrant Trafficking, Economic Crimes, Extortion, Crimes against Life, Environmental Crimes, Tax and Customs Fraud, in addition to the Prosecutor's Offices for Women and against Femicide and for Children and Adolescents. The project coordinated with the MP to determine priority municipalities in which to implement the Democratic Criminal Policy (PCDEG), as well as provided support to combat prioritized crimes. Additionally, the Justice Project continued to work with the Quality Management Office to advance in the development and implementation of the Case Management System of the Public Ministry (SICOMP). The project also supported the MP in expanding its capacity to investigate and prosecute crimes, including human trafficking, economic crimes, and environmental crimes. The project's efforts were hindered by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to a consistent worsening of cases in Guatemala. Despite international support, including the donation of 500,000 COVID-19 vaccines by the United States, the project was able to advance in its work plan. The project's progress was also affected by the suspension of cooperation from several donor countries, including the United States, following the dismissal of Prosecutor Juan Francisco Sandoval from the FECI. The Justice and Transparency Project's work plan for the fiscal year 2021 focused on four main objectives: Improve the Public Ministry's ability to adequately investigate and prosecute criminal cases, Improve Effectiveness and Coordination of the Justice System, Increase Transparency to Improve Effectiveness and Legitimacy in the Justice System, and Support Judicial Reform and Oversight to Strengthen Rule of Law. The project also engaged with the private sector through the Private Sector Engagement (PSE) initiative, which aimed to promote collaboration between the public and private sectors to improve the effectiveness of the justice system. The project's progress was monitored and evaluated through regular reporting and assessments. The project's annual report for the fiscal year 2021 provides an overview of the project's activities, achievements, and challenges during the reporting period. The report highlights the project's efforts to improve the effectiveness and transparency of the justice system in Guatemala, despite the challenges faced by the project and the country.