Prominent Guatemalan anti-corruption lawyer killed in shooting
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Police at the scene in Guatemala City, where anti-corruption lawyer Juan Francisco Solorzano Foppa was killed in an armed attack on Oct 17.
PHOTO: REUTERS
GUATEMALA – Guatemalan lawyer Juan Francisco Solorzano Foppa, known for his high-profile fight against corruption in the Central American country, died after being shot on Oct 17 by two men while visiting a sports centre, a crime condemned by President Bernardo Arevalo.
Solorzano Foppa, 43, was a former prosecutor who denounced wrongdoing by some of Guatemala’s most powerful politicians, business leaders and companies, and in 2023, briefly joined the defence team of a prominent journalist.
Shortly after the attack, Guatemalan police reported that they had detained two men and seized a carbine-style firearm and a motorcycle. Police said the arrests and weapon seizure were in connection with the case.
“I strongly condemn the cowardly murder of former prosecutor Juan Francisco Solorzano Foppa. Both the direct perpetrators and those who ordered the crime must face the full weight of the law,” Arevalo posted on his official X account. He said he had instructed the government to coordinate with the relevant authorities to solve the crime.
“Those who believe that terror can intimidate the people of Guatemala and the government I lead are mistaken. In honour of Foppa, in honour of our homeland, in honour of justice.”
Foppa was known for his anti-corruption work as head of the Criminal Investigations Directorate in the Public Prosecutor’s Office, and later as head of Guatemala’s tax authority, the SAT, from 2016 to 2018, when he helped prosecute dozens of powerful Guatemalan business figures and recover unpaid taxes.
In 2025, Foppa alleged a connection between the Barrio 18 gang and the National Unity of Hope party, as well as links between criminal gangs and the judicial system.
In 2023, he briefly joined the defence team of Guatemalan journalist Jose Ruben Zamora, who has become an international symbol of resistance to the criminalisation of journalism and erosion of judicial independence in Central America.
Foppa had to leave the Zamora case after being accused by the Public Prosecutor’s Office of obstructing the proceedings and destroying or concealing information, a charge he denied but ultimately accepted as part of a plea agreement, saying he did not believe he would receive a fair trial.