Stories from Guatemala

Police arrested two individuals for robbing passengers on a bus traveling the Pacific route in Escuintla. The suspects allegedly used threats and intimidation to steal belongings from users of an Esmeralda transport bus.

Magistrate Alejandro Prado, president of the third chamber, ruled that the case must proceed to judge Arnulfo Carrera for procedural health. This follows previous challenges regarding the dismissal of the case.

The Public Ministry has reproached judicial resolutions issued by Judge Judith Secaida regarding the case of Sergio Morataya and Heysel Morales. Guatemalan prosecutors have successfully filed appeals to keep the Morataya and Morales case active. Magistrate Alejandro Prado, president of the third chamber, ruled that the case must proceed to judge Arnulfo Carrera for procedural health. This decision follows appeals to prevent the case dismissal. The appeals chamber resolved that the case remains active despite previous attempts to close it. The Public Ministry's challenge against a judge in the fifth court was granted. The proposal is scheduled for a plenary session on May 5. A judge in Guatemala has ordered the Fifth Criminal Court to continue proceedings in the case involving Morataya and Morales.

Guatemalan deputies approved reforms to the tax update law during a plenary session. The breached data includes property details, tax identification numbers, names, fiscal addresses, chassis numbers, engine numbers, license plates, and electronic property certificates. The SAT issued a statement saying it is maintaining permanent monitoring of institutional systems according to security protocols. The agency stated that systems currently show no further issues. No data extraction or unauthorized access has been detected by the ecological migration institution. Rafael Landívar University also reported no evidence of sensitive data breaches and has reinforced its security measures. The legislation aims to formalize how institutional data is managed and utilized for administrative tasks.

The Instituto Nacional de Sismología, Vulcanología e Hidrología (INSIVUH) issued a special volcanological bulletin regarding the activity of the Santiaguito volcano. The bulletin was reported by Emisoras Unidas in Jalapa.

Roadwork at kilometer 188 in San Felipe, Retalú Leu, is causing vehicle traffic to be diverted to an alternate route. The CA-180 route connecting the departments of Retalú Leu and Quetzaltenango is affected. Local authorities are providing road safety services at the site.

Volunteer firefighters responded to emergency calls regarding a vehicle that fell into a ravine at kilometer 59.5 of the Ruta de Libramiento in Chimaltenango. Elements from the 21st and 35th companies were deployed to the scene. Rescuers descended into the ravine to assist two occupants. A pick-up truck fell into a ravine approximately 50 meters deep in Chimaltenango. Municipal and departmental firefighters worked to rescue four injured people from the vehicle. The incident occurred near the Patsun area. The incident occurred near Las Camelias de Patsun, according to the report.

The dispute involves a request for an amparo to review the weighting of candidates on a list sent to the President of the Republic. This review aims to adjust scoring before the next Attorney General is designated.

Former Constitutional Court magistrate candidate David Juárez filed an amparo against the nominee for Attorney General. García Alvarado, the current Petén district prosecutor with 20 years of experience, and Ávila a Paricio, a justice system veteran of over 30 years, are among those being interviewed. No individuals have submitted documents to challenge the state body composed of Julio César Rivera-Clavería and Nektor Guillemaldo de León Ramos. A complaint has been filed against María Consuelo Porras Sargueta regarding her tenure at the Secretaría de Bienestar Social. The Elisa Martínez temporary home, where she worked for 10 years, is alleged to have processed approximately 1,000 irregular adoptions. Porras Sargueta is reportedly linked to around 80 of these irregular processes. She is scheduled to leave her current position on May 17.

The Guatemalan Association of Exporters warned that road blockades pose a risk to exports, employment, and the livelihoods of thousands of families.