Usually we consider that the corruption that erodes the internal economies of Third World countries is associated with their exploitation by the major capitalist powers. This is so because exploitation opens cracks in the national economies and is conducive to fraud and bribes --among other ethical and moral damages—that exacerbate the effects of unequal exchange.

But there is another aspect that is rarely discussed in newspaper pages: when the interests of foreign exploiters are blocked by anti-corruption laws or measures (national or international) that harm the traditional mechanisms of foreign exploitation, a phenomenon such as what we just saw in the Guatemalan crisis takes place. This phenomenon led to the resignation of the President of the Central American Nation, Otto Perez Molina, and the Vice President, Roxana Baldetti.

It happened in the context of the Comisión Internacional contra la Corrupción en Guatemala (CICIG) [International Commission against Corruption in Guatemala] an "independent" body established by the United Nations (UN), whose purpose is to support the work of the Guatemalan National Prosecutor and the Civilian Police in the investigation of crimes committed by officials and irregular security forces.

Perez Molina became the first president in the history of Guatemala to lose his immunity, and his post, charged with corruption. And this happened as a result of the work of the aforementioned international commission of inquiry within which the role of the pressures exerted by the United States is questioned

Pérez Molina resigned on September 3 when he was being investigated for the "La Linea," case, a pattern of customs fraud that consisted on the collection of fees from entrepreneurs allowing them to evade taxes. For this transgression, Vice President Roxana Baldetti had been forced to resign some time before and is already in prison.

CICIG Commissioner, Iván Velásquez Gómez, in an interview for multinational TV network TELESUR, confirmed the financing of the entity by the United States, but said CICIG does not respond to any embassy. "Washington is just one of CICIG’s financial contributors, like the European Union, Sweden, and other countries," argued Velásquez.

In January 2015, former President Perez Molina terminated the work of CICIG in Guatemala, whose mandate expired on 15 September. "The stage of CICIG work is over, and what it could accomplish in eight years will probably not be able to do in one or two more years," said the recently deposed president.

Last March, US Vice President Joseph Biden traveled to Guatemala to meet with the presidents of the countries that make up the so-called Northern Triangle of Central America (Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador) to "negotiate" on the implementation of the Prosperity Partnership, an initiative of the US President to "help the region."

Biden took the occasion to express the US interest on the extension of the CICIG´s term. This became the central topic of discussion at the regional meeting.

"CICIG’s mandate should be extended. Of course, that is a sovereign decision, but it should be extended if anyone expects the US Congress to join the initiative and commit billions of dollars (...). The continuity of CICIG is very, very, very important,” stressed Biden.

Pressures also came from the US Congress when, on March 24, the Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee,  Republican Edward Royce, and the leader of the Democrats, Eliot Engel, sent a message to Perez Molina requesting the extension of the mandate of the CICIG, reminding him Washington’s financing role.

The United States would contribute 7.16 million dollars of the14 million available for CICIG in 2015; the remaining amount comes from other Western sources such as Canada, Norway, Sweden and the European Commission.

The US Embassy in Guatemala has been a top defender of the investigating commission. Ambassador Todd Robinson has publicly defended the work carried out by CICIG in that country.

According to the prestigious indigenous analyst on regional issues, Ollantay Itzamná, "by sacrificing President Otto Perez Molina --whose government had been promoted, financed and taken over by businessmen and military-- an attempt is being made to exonerate the crooks who have plundered the state and stolen the assets of the people for nearly two centuries."

Guatemalans will never forget that, in 1954, the United States led the coup that ousted the legitimate president, Jacobo Arbenz. Thereafter, with their support --and financial, political and military assistance-- the US maintained in power all the bloody dictatorships that followed until 1986.

October 7, 2015.

- Manuel E. Yepe http://manuelyepe.wordpress.com/

A CubaNews translation. Edited by Walter Lippmann.