Former prosecutor and prominent anticorruption lawyer Juan Francisco Solorzano Foppa has been shot dead alongside another man during an attack at a sports centre in Guatemala City, authorities said.
The Public Prosecutor’s Office confirmed that the Saturday shooting at the Campo Marte sports complex claimed the lives of the 43-year-old lawyer and Gustavo Adolfo Aguilar Gamarro. Following the incident, police detained two men and seized a motorcycle as well as a carbine-style firearm.
President Bernardo Arevalo condemned the killings and pledged that investigators would pursue all those involved. “I strongly condemn the cowardly murder of former prosecutor Juan Francisco Solorzano Foppa,” Arevalo wrote on his official X account. “Both the direct perpetrators and those who ordered the crime must face the full weight of the law.”
The president instructed state authorities to coordinate closely to resolve the case, adding: “Those who believe that terror can intimidate the people of Guatemala and the government I lead are mistaken. In honour of Foppa, in honour of our homeland, in honour of justice.”
Solorzano Foppa had a long record of challenging powerful figures in Guatemala's business and political sectors. Before running the country's tax authority, SAT, from 2016 to 2018, he directed the Criminal Investigations Directorate within the Public Prosecutor’s Office. His tenure at SAT included efforts that recovered unpaid taxes and led to the prosecution of numerous business leaders.
In 2023, Solorzano Foppa briefly served on the legal defence team for journalist Jose Ruben Zamora. He withdrew after prosecutors accused him of obstructing proceedings and concealing or destroying information. Solorzano Foppa denied the claims but entered a plea deal, stating he did not expect to receive a fair trial. In 2025, he publicly alleged connections involving the Barrio 18 gang, the National Unity of Hope party and the country's judicial system.
