P.U.P.: Bye, Carlos Raul!

Carlos Raul Morales

In Guatemala, the Constitutional Court has upheld its provisional ruling that President Jimmy Morales cannot expel Ivan Velasquez, a veteran Colombian prosecutor who leads Guatemala’s International Commission against Impunity, known as CICIG.  In seeking to expel Velasquez, President Morales dismissed his Foreign Minister, Carlos Raul Morales, for not following through on his order. Guatemalan prosecutors have been looking to revoke the president’s immunity from investigation over more than eight hundred thousand dollars in potentially unexplained campaign funds. President Morales has denied any wrongdoing. As for former Foreign Minister Morales, he did not endear himself to Belizeans when he staunchly defended his home country after an Organization of American States-sponsored report cleared Belize Defence Force soldiers of wrongdoing in the death of a Guatemalan teenager in the Chiquibul last April. He called Belizeans “shameless” and went after Prime Minister Dean Barrow concerning his comments on the report, where he asked Guatemala to apologize. According to Opposition Leader John Briceño, the People’s United Party has not forgotten Carlos Raul’s “rude” behavior, and so, Independence Hall says good riddance.

John Briceño

John Briceño, P.U.P. Leader

“Let’s put it this way: the P.U.P. shall not shed a single tear for Carlos Raul Morales’ dismissal as Foreign Minister for Guatemala. I think he was rude to our Prime Minister – because despite the fact that he’s a U.D.P. he is our Prime Minister – he was rude to our Prime Minister; he was rude to the Foreign Minister; he was rude to us as a people. So good riddance as far as I’m concerned.”

International news sources says President Morales has confirmed he will respect the decision of the court and now seeks to shore up his support after losing several ministers to resignation.