[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 184 (Monday, September 27, 2021)]
[Notices]
[Pages 53384-53385]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-20821]


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DEPARTMENT OF STATE

[Public Notice: 11549]


Update on Report to Congress Pursuant to Section 353(d)(1)(A) of 
the United States-Northern Triangle Enhanced Engagement Act

ACTION: Notice of report.

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SUMMARY: This document provides an update to the State Department's 
report to Congress regarding foreign persons who have knowingly engaged 
in actions that undermine democratic processes or institutions, 
significant corruption, or obstruction of such corruption in El 
Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras pursuant to Section 353(b) of the 
Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs 
Appropriations Act, 2021.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Update to Report to Congress on Foreign 
Persons who have Knowingly Engaged in Actions that Undermine Democratic 
Processes or Institutions, Significant Corruption, or Obstruction of 
Such Corruption in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras Section 353(b) 
of the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs 
Appropriations Act, 2021 (Div. FF, Pub. L. 116-260)
    Consistent with Section 353(b) of the United States-Northern 
Triangle Enhanced Engagement Act (Div. FF, Pub. L. 116-260) (the Act), 
this report update is being submitted to the House Foreign Affairs 
Committee, Senate Foreign Relations Committee, House Committee on the 
Judiciary, and the Senate Committee on the Judiciary.
    Section 353(b) requires the submission of a report that identifies 
the following persons in El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras: (1) 
Foreign persons determined to have knowingly engaged in actions that 
undermine democratic processes or institutions; (2) foreign persons 
determined to have knowingly engaged in significant corruption; and (3) 
foreign persons determined to have knowingly engaged in obstruction of 
investigations into such acts of corruption, including the following: 
Corruption related to government contracts; bribery and extortion; the 
facilitation or transfer of the proceeds of corruption, including 
through money laundering; and acts of violence, harassment, or 
intimidation directed at governmental and nongovernmental corruption 
investigators.
    Under Section 353, foreign persons identified under the Act are 
generally ineligible for visas and admission to the United States. 
Section 353 further requires that foreign persons identified under the 
Act shall have their visas revoked immediately and any other valid visa 
or entry documentation cancelled. Consistent with Section 353(g), this 
report update will be published in the Federal Register.
    This report update includes individuals for whom the Department is 
aware of credible information or allegations of the conduct at issue, 
from media reporting and other sources. The Department will continue to 
review the individuals listed in the report and consider all available 
tools to deter and disrupt corrupt, undemocratic activity in El 
Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras. The Department also continues to 
actively review additional credible information and allegations 
concerning corruption and to utilize all applicable authorities, as 
appropriate, to ensure corrupt officials are denied safe haven in the 
United States.

El Salvador

    Elsy Due[ntilde]as De Aviles, Oscar Alberto L[oacute]pez Jerez, 
Hector Nahun Martinez Garcia, Jose Angel Perez Chacon, and Luis Javier 
Su[aacute]rez Maga[ntilde]a, current Magistrates of the Constitutional 
Chamber of the Supreme Court, undermined democratic processes or 
institutions by accepting direct appointments to the Chamber by the 
Legislative Assembly, in an unusual process in apparent contravention 
of the processes set out at Article 186 of the Constitution, which 
requires the selection of such Magistrates from a list of candidates 
drafted by the National

[[Page 53385]]

Council of the Judiciary. The previous five Magistrates were abruptly 
removed without legitimate cause following the May 1 seating of the 
newly elected Legislative Assembly. After being installed, the new 
Magistrates declared their installation by the Legislative Assembly to 
have been constitutional. The Magistrates subsequently also undermined 
democratic processes or institutions by approving a controversial 
interpretation of the Constitution authorizing re-election of the 
President despite an express prohibition in the Constitution forbidding 
consecutive terms of the Presidency.

Guatemala

    Angel Arnoldo Pineda Avila, current Secretary General of 
Guatemala's Public Ministry (MP), obstructed investigations into acts 
of corruption by interfering in anti-corruption probes. The MP has 
opened a probe into allegations that Pineda interfered in an anti-
corruption investigation. Pineda is alleged to have tipped off 
investigative targets about cases being built against them. In one 
instance, Pineda reportedly leaked confidential information to the 
director of Guatemala's Victim Institute about an ongoing investigation 
into more than 100 falsified personnel contracts at the institution.
    Maria Consuelo Porras Argueta De Porres, current Attorney General 
of Guatemala, obstructed investigations into acts of corruption by 
interfering with criminal investigations in order to protect political 
allies and gain personal political favor. Porras' pattern of 
obstruction included ordering prosecutors in the MP to ignore cases 
based on political considerations and actively undermining 
investigations into political allies carried out by the Special 
Prosecutor Against Impunity, including by improperly firing its lead 
prosecutor, Juan Francisco Sandoval, and transferring and firing 
prosecutors who investigate the current administration or the MP 
itself.

    Dated: September 13, 2021.
Wendy R. Sherman,
Deputy Secretary of State.
[FR Doc. 2021-20821 Filed 9-24-21; 8:45 am]
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