Central America
Guatemala reverses asset seizures after judge replacement, benefiting ex-president and former ministers
A recent change in the judge overseeing asset forfeiture cases in Guatemala has accelerated the return of seized properties to individuals accused of corruption and drug trafficking. Among the former officials who have benefited are former Communications Minister Alejandro Sinibaldi; former President Otto Pérez Molina; former FCN-Nación lawmaker Herber Melgar Padilla; and former presidential candidate Manuel Baldizón.
According to a special report published by the Diario de Centro América, a turning point occurred between April and July 2024 in the handling of assets confiscated under suspicion of corruption or organized crime. The report indicates that, following the removal of the head of the Asset Forfeiture Court, rulings began to shift, and properties previously under state control were returned to former officials facing criminal proceedings.
In a move widely criticized by analysts and legal experts, Marco Antonio Villeda—now serving as Minister of the Interior—was transferred after more than 10 years from the Asset Forfeiture Court to the Eighth Criminal Court. His replacement, Jaime Delmar González Marín, had previously issued rulings favorable to relatives of former President Jimmy Morales.
Since then, several political figures and ex-officials accused of corruption—including Sinibaldi, Pérez Molina, Melgar Padilla, Baldizón, and Miguel Martínez, a senior official in the previous administration—have regained access to seized assets.
During Villeda’s tenure, authorities froze six properties, bank accounts, and two helicopters linked to former President Pérez Molina; land and deposits worth at least 60 million quetzales connected to Sinibaldi; and a building in Guatemala City’s Zone 15 tied to Baldizón.
These developments are reflected in the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights’ 2025 Report on the Human Rights Situation in Guatemala, which concludes that there has been a “shift in approach to asset forfeiture proceedings.”
For experts such as Juan Francisco Sandoval, former head of the Special Prosecutor’s Office Against Impunity (FECI), Villeda’s transfer was not “a mere temporal coincidence,” but rather an event that occurred “at a moment when efforts were underway to reconfigure institutional structures and centers of control.”
Central America
Panama confirms drug contamination of El Salvador coffee shipment occurred on its territory
A container originating from El Salvador and carrying coffee for export was contaminated with more than 1,152 packages of drugs while in transit through Panama, according to official information confirmed by the Panamanian government this Tuesday.
The case, which had previously generated political controversy in April 2025 after opposition sectors attempted to link the Salvadoran government to drug trafficking, has now been clarified through renewed investigations.
Authorities confirmed that the container departed from the port of Acajutla after being properly inspected, with no illicit substances detected at the time of export.
According to statements previously provided by El Salvador’s Minister of Defense, René Merino Monroy, the shipment traveled first to the port of Balboa in Panama, where it remained stored for several days before being transferred to another vessel bound for Manzanillo in Colón.
It was at that terminal that Panamanian authorities discovered the drugs and identified tampering with the container seals, indicating that the illicit alteration occurred during its transit in Panama rather than in Salvadoran territory.
The findings align with earlier explanations provided by Salvadoran officials and confirm that the contamination of the cargo took place outside of El Salvador’s jurisdiction.
Central America
Uber Eats adds Puntarenas and Turrialba to growing Costa Rica network
Uber Eats announced that it is continuing to expand its presence in Costa Rica with the launch of operations in the cities of Puntarenas and Turrialba, further strengthening the company’s growth in the country.
With this expansion, the delivery platform is now available across all seven Costa Rican provinces and works with more than 6,000 partner businesses. Its offerings include prepared food, supermarkets, pharmacies, pet stores, and other specialty retailers.
As part of the announcement, Uber Eats also introduced Marco Nannipieri as its new Regional General Manager for the Andean Region, Central America, and the Caribbean.
Nannipieri will oversee the company’s operations in Costa Rica along with seven other countries in the region.
“Costa Rica is a key market for Uber Eats in the region, with growing adoption of technology among users and businesses. Over the past five years, more than 1,000 restaurants and merchants have joined the app, and today we are entering a new stage of expansion that will allow us to reach more cities outside the Greater Metropolitan Area, creating new opportunities for entrepreneurs across the country,” Nannipieri said.
Central America
Report questions direction of Nasry Asfura after 100 days in office
The Center for the Study of Democracy warned Tuesday that the government of Nasry Asfura, which marks its first 100 days in office on Wednesday, has failed to show a “significant change in direction” and continues to follow a model characterized by exclusion, inequality, and external dependence.
In its report titled “100 Days of the Nasry Asfura Government: Concerns and Demands,” Cespad stated that the administration has maintained an economic and political model that prioritizes debt payments, the promotion of extractive projects, and the strengthening of the security apparatus over social investment.
The organization argued that the current policies have not addressed structural problems affecting large sectors of the Honduran population and warned that inequality and economic dependence remain key challenges for the country.
Nasry Asfura won the general elections held on November 30, 2025, in a process marked by allegations of fraud and delays in the vote count that lasted nearly a month due to a series of technological failures.
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