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Prominent Guatemalan anti-corruption lawyer killed in shooting
Reuters • • world
Key Points:
- Juan Francisco Solorzano Foppa, a prominent Guatemalan anti-corruption lawyer and former prosecutor, was fatally shot by two men at a sports center in Guatemala City, prompting condemnation from President Bernardo Arevalo.
- Police quickly detained two suspects and seized a firearm and motorcycle linked to the attack, with the government pledging to bring both the perpetrators and those who ordered the crime to justice.
- Solorzano Foppa was known for his work investigating corruption among powerful politicians and business leaders, as well as his leadership roles in Guatemala’s Criminal Investigations Directorate and tax authority (SAT).
- In 2023, he briefly joined the defense team of journalist Jose Ruben Zamora, a symbol of resistance against judicial erosion, but left after being accused of obstructing justice, a charge he denied but accepted in a plea deal citing concerns over fair trial prospects.
