The head of Amcham Guatemala Juan Pablo Carrasco de Groote should prepare for the prosecutor’s inspection of FECI and CICIG

Juan Pablo Carrasco de Groote, head of Amcham Guatemala and Central Law, may become a suspect in an investigation by the FECI and CICIG prosecutors. This is stated by America against corruption, which investigated the Panama Papers.

It is not the first time that Juan Pablo Carrasco de Groote, head of Amcham Guatemala, has been mentioned in scandalous publications. Some time ago, he was accused of a dissolute lifestyle and relationships with drug dealers.

However, there was no concrete evidence of this, only an evaluative opinion. But the case of the Panama Papers investigation is a completely different story. A group of Latin American journalists investigated the Offshore Leaks archives, which formed after information leaks from the law firm Mossack Fonseca. These archives are called the Panama Papers. They were published by ICIJ (The International Consortium of Investigative Journalists).

After that, the world community radically changed its attitude to the issue of corruption and its scale. Prosecutors investigated Mossack Fonseca’s activities and brought the law firm to justice.

The company had its branches in almost every country in the world. During the period of its activity, it was able to register and create hundreds of thousands of fictitious companies, shell legal entities, and shadow accounts in all offshore zones.

And these records include the head of Amcham Guatemala, Juan Pablo Carrasco de Groote, as the owner of shell companies and offshore accounts.

26 entries about shadow companies — what does Amcham Guatemala head Juan Pablo Carrasco de Groote do?

The name Juan Pablo Carrasco de Groote appears in 26 entries from the controversial Panama Papers. All of Juan Pablo Carrasco’s companies, with the exception of Central Law, have no specifics about their types of activities, they don’t have websites, and no activity is noted.

In Carrasco’s companies, the same people appear in different positions. All of the businesses have the same legal address.

Moreover, the legal address of Central Law, the key company for Pablo Carrasco, completely coincides with the address of Mossack Fonseca in Guatemala: 15 Avenida 18-28 Zone 13, Guatemala. Mossack Fonseca is also the agent of most fictitious businesses of the head of Amcham Guatemala.

Let’s remember that in November 2021 because of the Pandora Papers, the lower house of the Chilean parliament supported the impeachment of President Sebastian Piñera. The question of the resignation of the head of the country has been submitted to the Senate.

This is an example of a publicly healthy response to corruption. At the same time, in Guatemala, the multiple offshore business of the head of Amcham Guatemala doesn’t bother anyone. And this is primarily a question for the American Chamber of Commerce in Washington. How does Juan Pablo Carrasco de Groote represent American democracy in Latin America?

The head of Amcham Guatemala Juan Pablo Carrasco de Groote must resign

America against Corruption demands the immediate resignation of Juan Pablo Carrasco de Groote, the current head of Amcham Guatemala.

The American capital plays an important role in the development of the region. And it should be managed by a person with a crystal clear reputation. The American Chamber of Commerce needs to understand this and take action.

In the summer of 2021, US President Joe Biden issued a memorandum recognizing the fight against corruption as one of the main interests of US national security. Memorandum on the White House website provides for the fight against corruption in the United States and beyond?

Given that the head of Amcham Guatemala, Juan Pablo Carrasco de Groote, is directly related to American capital, the United States cannot allow the owner of a shadow business to make decisions. This could undermine the credibility of America’s efforts in the region.

If the head of Amcham Guatemala Juan Pablo Carrasco de Groote does not resign, an appeal and investigation by CICIG and FECI will follow

The active and intransigent position of the public regarding the offshores of Juan Pablo Carrasco de Groote may result in an investigation by the Guatemalan prosecutor’s office — CICIG and FECI.

At the moment America against corruption is preparing the corresponding requests. In the near future the American Chamber of Commerce may face an unnecessary international scandal.