Corruption Scandals in Guatemala and Brazil: Part 2

Here is part two of the interview that Insight Crime did with Matthew Taylor (@taylorlatam) and me on Comparing Presidential Corruption Scandals in Guatemala and Brazil: Part 2.

IC: That's a good segue to my last question, which is how do you both see the outlook for these cases? What do you see the implications being in terms of the chances of success for these prosecutions, and the odds that they would discourage this sort of behavior in the future?

MA: In Guatemala's case, this is a really key time in the country's history. I don't think many people ever expected you would see a former president and vice president sitting in jail right now on corruption charges. There has been charge after charge leveled against the two of them, backed up by the International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala. And the credibility of that institution is really on the line right now, with whether or not these cases reach a successful verdict in favor of guilty.

What we've clearly learned is that the arrests and resignations of Pérez Molina and Baldetti last year didn't seem to have much of an effect on limiting corruption in the new government. Jimmy Morales was elected last year and took office in January, but we're not convinced that there is any less corruption today or that it is any less of a threat to the Guatemalan system than it was 12 months or 14 months ago. I think it's an ongoing process. It's going to be one that's going to have its highs and lows, but we need to start thinking about whether Guatemala is going to be better off in five years or in ten years, rather than whether or not they're better off today than they were one year ago.

You can read part one here.