2017 Complaint to the International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG)

In February 2017, communities impacted by the extraction of gold and other minerals in the municipalities of San Miguel Ixtahuacán and Sipacapa filed a complaint with the International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG) in relation to a network of corruption and cooptation that functioned for the approval of extractive mining licences for Montana Exploradora de Guatemala, S.A., and Goldcorp Inc., particularly in regards to the Marlin Mine project (Prensa Comunitaria, 2017).

The complainants requested that the CICIG investigate the arbitrary and illegal forms by which the exploration and exploitation licences and the Environmental Impact Study were approved by public officials, such as the Ministry of Energy and Mines (MEM) and the Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources (MARN). The complainants also noted that the participation of public officials in acts of corruption extended to municipalities, mayors and Community Development Councils of Sipacapa and San Miguel Ixtahuacán, and requested an investigation of the judiciary and the Office of the Public Prosecutor, which are alleged to have benefitted the company by maliciously delaying complaints and investigations filed against it, and failing to enforce prompt and effective justice against all those accused of involvement in the network of corruption behind the Marlin Mine, Montana Exploradora, and Goldcorp Inc. (Ibid).

The complaint was filed in partnership with the Maya Sipakapense Council, the Maya Ukux Be’ Association, the Front in Defense of San Miguel Ixtahuacán (FREDEMI), and the Pluri-Cultural Legal Association of Guatemala (PLURIJUR) (Ibid).  

In 2019, the Guatemalan government refused to renew the mandate of CICIG and forced the closure of the UN special investigation unit.