Amcham Guatemala silences Juan Pablo Carrasco de Groote offshore scandal
Juan Pablo Carrasco de Groote is the head of Amcham Guatemala, found himself in the center of a scandal related to multiple businesses in various offshore zones of the world. Offshore Leaks has direct records of the Amcham Guatemala’s head involvement in grey schemes and possible corruption.
Many companies around the world are registered on him, the same people appear in different positions, the type of activity in most of these companies is not identified.
All of them are located at a legal address that coincides with the scandalous company Mossack Fonseca, which has been an agent of mafia, corrupt officials and politicians for a long time. Juan Pablo Carrasco de Groote, the head of Amcham Guatemala, carries out similar activities in Latin America through his Central Law company. For example, one of his clients is the drug dealer Federico Machado, who realized the Ponza scam for more than $350 million in the United States.
All this is available in open sources. But at the same time, there is no clear reaction from the Amcham head office in Washington.
Biden’s opinion on corruption: Juan Pablo Carrasco de Groote should come under sanctions
It’s worth recalling that in June 2021, US President Biden signed a memorandum and announced a tough stance on corruption.
“The US will become by example, and together with allies, civil society and the private sector will fight corruption,” said Biden in the memo.
In early December, Biden’s position was renewed in an even more active manner.
“Today, in accordance with presidential orders, the Biden-Harris administration is issuing the first ever United States Anti-Corruption Strategy. The strategy defines a nationwide approach to strengthening the anti-corruption struggle,” the White House said.
The US anti-corruption strategy is based on five main areas, including:
- modernization, coordinating and resourcing the US government’s anti-corruption efforts;
- deterring illicit funding;
- bringing corrupt officials to justice;
- preservation and strengthening of a multi-component anti-corruption infrastructure;
- strengthening diplomatic interaction and the use of foreign aid resources to achieve the set goals.
The head of Amcham Guatemala poses a direct threat to both Guatemala and the relations of Latin America with the United States. In general, discarding all thoughts about reputation, potential harm and morality, it is worth noting that such activity of Juan Pablo Carrasco de Groote is unacceptable. And he must bear responsibility on an equal basis with everyone.
And even more so, the American Chamber of Commerce simply cannot ignore this scandal given Biden’s position.
Prosecutors may harm Amcham Guatemala’s reputation
If the leaders of Amcham Guatemala don’t respond, activists from America Against Corruption are preparing to send requests to the prosecutor’s office to initiate an investigation into Juan Pablo Carrasco de Groote activities.
It should be noted that this position is, first of all, justified. Secondly, it can carry high risks not only to the head of Amcham Guatemala but also to the entire network of representative offices of the American Chamber of Commerce in the world. Indeed, with the trust decreasing, the authority of the organization itself, which may lose authority, and its members — large corporations and brands like Colgate, PepsiCo and others — will significantly decrease.
