A 43-year-old former prosecutor and lawyer specializing in anticorruption cases was killed in a shooting at Campo Marte sports complex in Guatemala City on Saturday. Juan Francisco Solorzano Foppa and another man, Gustavo Adolfo Aguilar Gamarro, died in the attack carried out by two gunmen, according to the Public Prosecutor’s Office. Police apprehended two suspects and recovered a carbine-style firearm and motorcycle related to the incident.
Foppa had built a notable career investigating high-profile corruption cases involving Guatemala’s most influential politicians, business leaders, and corporations. He previously served as head of the Criminal Investigations Directorate within the Public Prosecutor’s Office and led the country’s tax authority from 2016 to 2018, during which he pursued dozens of powerful business figures and recovered unpaid taxes. In more recent years, he worked as a private attorney handling anticorruption matters.
President Bernardo Arevalo condemned the killing, calling it a “cowardly murder” and vowing that perpetrators and anyone who ordered the crime would face justice. The president stated he has directed his government to coordinate with relevant authorities to investigate the case, adding that intimidation tactics would not deter the government’s commitment to the rule of law.
In 2025, Foppa made allegations connecting the Barrio 18 gang to the National Unity of Hope party and linking criminal organizations to the judicial system. In 2023, he briefly joined the legal defence team of journalist Jose Ruben Zamora but withdrew from the case after facing obstruction accusations from the Public Prosecutor’s Office. Though denying the charges, Foppa accepted a plea agreement, stating he lacked confidence in receiving fair judicial proceedings.
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