Guatemala’s president names Gabriel Estuardo Garcia as new attorney general

GUATEMALA CITY, May 5 (Reuters) – Guatemala’s President Bernardo Arevalo has named Gabriel Estuardo Garcia Luna, a former judge and university professor, as the Central American nation’s new attorney general, Arevalo said in an address to the nation on Tuesday.

Last month, Guatemala’s Constitutional Court froze the process and ordered a review of the finalists after a shortlist drew attention when it left off current Attorney General Consuelo Porras.

A new list was later voted on by a committee of jurists and presented to Arevalo, allowing him to proceed with selecting a candidate.

Porras, a leading adversary of Arevalo, has been sanctioned by the U.S., Canada, the European Union and others for alleged corruption, persecution of human rights advocates ​and efforts to undermine Arevalo’s 2023 election. Porras has denied accusations against her.

“This is a time to learn from our history. Justice has all too often been a tool of revenge. It is time to leave that past behind,” Arevalo said, hailing a “new chapter” and wishing Garcia clarity and resolve as he takes up the post.

Garcia is currently serving as a criminal adviser to the top prosecutor’s office.

Arevalo said the attorney general is mandated not to serve “the incumbent president or any particular or spurious political interests, but to serve an independent and impartial justice system dedicated to the people who make up the Guatemalan nation.”

Garcia will take up the post from May 17, Arevalo said.

(Reporting by Sofia Menchu and Sarah Morland; Editing by Himani Sarkar and Raju Gopalakrishnan)