In Guatemala, vows to fight graft despite US senator’s hold

GUATEMALA CITY – Backers of efforts to combat corruption in Guatemala are vowing that work will not be stopped by U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio putting a hold on $6 million in U.S. contributions for a U.N.-sponsored commission probing graft in the country.

Commission chief Ivan Velasquez said he would not comment but tweeted Sunday: “The fight against impunity and against corruption must continue; it does not wait; it cannot be suspended or delayed. There is neither time nor space for pessimism, uncertainty, discouragement or fear.”

Guatemalan lawmaker Andrea Villagran said Monday that lobbyists in Washington are misinterpreting the fight against corruption in Guatemala and is hopeful that Rubio’s request will not last.

“What Senator Rubio says should not do significant harm, since it is not a person who makes decisions — it is a group,” she said. “And we understand U.S. politics. They are institutional regardless of whether Democrats or Republicans are in power.”

Rubio announced the hold Friday, which affects funding already authorized by Congress but not yet disbursed.

In a statement, he said he was concerned the commission may have been “manipulated and used by radical elements and Russia’s campaign against the Bitkov family in Guatemala.”

Guatemala’s highest court recently overturned a prison conviction for the three Bitkovs, who were accused of using forged documents to live in the country. They claim to be the victims of a plot orchestrated by Moscow but have produced no evidence to support their allegation.

Rubio also sent a letter to Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales asking him to guarantee the Bitkovs’ safety.