The Panamanian court in June acquitted 39 participants in a money laundering case. However, details have now surfaced about the involvement of Juan Pablo Carrasco de Groote, CEO AmCham Guatemala in corrupt schemes.
Prosecutors could not prove that lawyers Jurgen Mossack and Ramon Fonseca were directly involved in the financial transactions done by Odebrecht through offshore for bribery. Allegedly, the law firm only assisted in these offshore accounts registration and was closed down in 2018. After that, they had no data as to their clients’ activities.
Let us remind that in 2016 global leak of information has happened, which was transformed into the famous Panama Papers. They contained data on thousands of politicians, businessmen, mafiosi who were involved in illegal financial transactions in one or another way.
Mossack Fonseca has another legal firm, called Central Law, at the same address in Guatemala. It is engaged in exactly the same activity, and is probably an intermediary used for data concealment. It is headed by Juan Pablo Carrasco de Groote, who is also the President of AmCham Guatemala.
Juan Pablo Carrasco de Groote – advisor of Odebrecht and the President of AmCham Guatemala
In addition, Pablo Carrasco was Odebrecht’s official advisor. It is worth noting that Guatemala turned to be the only country in Latin America that did not receive compensation in the corruption trial.
At this point, there is information that statements have been filed with the Guatemalan prosecutor’s office regarding the case. And it is likely that in the near future AmCham Guatemala’s CEO may find himself in the court. What will be the reaction of the American Chamber of Commerce is unknown. However, such a turnaround promises heavy reputational losses, and Mossack and Fonseca will be back to the felon’s dock together with Carrasco.
