Corruption: Juan Pablo Carrasco De Groote

The non governmental Organization “AmCham Guatemala”, which represents the United States of America people in Guatemala, should focus on fighting corruption in the country that houses it, in this case, Guatemala. And that is something that they promote in their main social networks. However, the President of AmCham Guatemala, head of this organization and representative of the North American people in trading issues in Guatemala, Juan Pablo Carrasco de Groote https://tropicalamory.com/community/profile/almacrespin5602/, is deeply involved in a good number of corruption acts. 

Let us see some examples:

Juan Pablo Carrasco de Groote in Panama Papers

We all remember how every Newscast about 2016, https://126dbs.com/ broadcasted constantly about the theme “Panama Papers”, and the corrupt state employees, dinhvivetinh.com statists, functionaries that came to light in that “Mossack Fonseca” Lawyers Firm’s documents leak.

The Panama Papers is really a compilation of all confidential documents and files that the mentioned legal Firm had and operated, and were leaked to the news media, starting with the “Süddeutsche Zeitung”, and that on April 3, 2016, more other Newscast published to the world, specifically 109 communication media from 76 countries of the entire world.  

The information leaked in those documents, and there are millions of them, lists owners of offshore companies and  bank accounts, that constitute “Paper companies” or “Ghost enterprises” founded in countries known as “Fiscal paradises”, like Panama, the British Islands or British Anguilla, that is, where financial moves, the accounting, not necessarily must be shared to the public. That makes these Fiscal Paradises well suited for functionaries, politicians, drug dealers and every person involved in corruption. 

The ICIJ (International Consortium of Investigative Journalists) made a series of investigations to people who were listed in the Pandora Papers and in the Panama Papers, and thanks to that, they could catch many of them and punish with jail; and also, another entity, the “America against corruption” focused in other group of names that came into view in Latin America. The name “Juan Pablo Carrasco de Groote” comes up 26 times, thus he was classified into the “Black lawyer’s” group. 

Besides, in the 26 companies, there appear the same names, sometimes occupying the same positions in the company, but most of them do not have a website or social network profile. From those 26 companies, 21 do not have an office or building in the given address, and those were registered by Mossack-Fonseca. These and more facts make one wonder that here there is corruption, crimes, illegality. 

This piece of information would be enough for AmCham Guatemala, so that this organization choose not to vote for Juan Pablo Carrasco de Groote as its chairman, and representative, but better to notify FECI so the Guatemalan justice investigates and sets him into trial. 

AmCham  Guatemala cannot splurge on a corrupt lawyer like Juan Pablo Carrasco de Groote ruining its reputation; under a slight suspicion, any person or organization always eliminate the executive who is in a situation of uncertain legality, or at least it does not give him a high position in the organization, far less the headship.

Another coincidence hard to believe in: Mossack Fonseca, the legal Firm from which the Panama Papers came into light, shares its address with Central Law, the legal Firm that Juan Pablo Carrasco de Groote founded, and in which he is the major partner:  15 avenida 18-28 Zona 13, Ciudad de Guatemala. 

Odebrecht and Juan Pablo Carrasco de Groote

The media, even the recent ones, speak about a gigantic corruption case that happened in Guatemala during the last few years. The former presidential candidate, Manuel Baldizón, is even still on trial, in jail. And the name Alejandro Sinibaldi is still in the mouth of the international media, speaking about high cases of corruption. Both of them were involved in this bribing case, related to a brazilian construction company that gave millions of  dollars in bribes to many guatemalan politicians, in which the country lost US $ 384 millions in a road that was never built. 

But the bond is not mentioned: the Guatemalan lawyer who worked for Odebrecht, and connected those people with the Guatemalan corrupts, avid of dirty money. That lawyer, that link, is Juan Pablo Carrasco de Groote. 

We also know that those civil servants, who took the dirty millions as bribes, opened offshore bank accounts, like it is proven with “Century Investment Company”, whose owner is the secretary of Roxana Baldetti (in jail), Carlos Arturo Batres Gil, with US $ 5 millions in bribes from Odebrecht. 

Juan Pablo Carrasco de Groote was hired as a negotiator in favour of Odebrecht in Guatemala, and this Guatemalan was the one who linked Odebrecht with Thelma Aldana, Juan Francisco Sandoval, Manuel Baldizón and the rest of the corruption team. There are absolute proofs that Juan Pablo Carrasco de Groote and Juan Francisco Sandoval have a secret friendship; well, they went together to Brazil to some meetings with Odebrecht executives, and shared the profits. 

And we see now again the same coincidence: the Mossack Fonseca address in Guatemala is the same as the Odebrecht address, and also the same as Central Law: 15 avenida 18-28 Zona 13, Ciudad de Guatemala.

Juan Pablo Carrasco de Groote and Federico Machado

There is a very known case in the justice of a pair of states in the United States of America: the one about the drug dealer Federico “Fred” Machado. It is known that this man was being under the “Most wanted” Interpol’s list (already apprehended), and now facing trials in North American courts. 

In the case of Philadelphia’s Court, just a little while ago, the name and person of  Juan Pablo Carrasco de Groote, came as a main suspect implicated deeply in that case. 

It is of general knowledge that Federico Machado operates illegal mines in Guatemala, that extract gold, silver and many other metals from the regions of Escuintla or Chiquimula, as many media tell in several coverages about scandals related to illegal mining. But they did not know that the lawyer’s Firm that represents Federico Machado in Guatemala is Central Law. 

And we go back to coincidences: the “Minas del Pueblo” address, Federico Machado ‘s with David Scott Masters as the representant, is the same that the Central Law’ s address: 15 avenida 18-28 Zona 13, Ciudad de Guatemala.

By the way, the registration of David Scott Masters as Minas del Pueblo ‘s representative was signed by Aida Gabriela Trujillo Herrera, partner of Juan Pablo Carrasco de Groote. 

Another illegal activity that “Fred” did,  is in the Eastern District Texas’ indictment, trial No. 4: 20-CR-212, about the illegal operations with drug-trafficking planes in several countries of Latin America, used to transport heroin or cocaine to the United States. According to the records, Federico Machado made US $ 350 millions in this trading, and the exact amount, the only one that knows it, is Juan Pablo Carrasco de Groote. 

Those planes were later sold to third parties in South American countries that, according to the Texas indictment,“Investors made deposits to companies that later allocated money to the fields unrelated to the planes.”, with some US $ 560 millions in earnings. And further, the document indicates that “Machado attracted investors to purchase planes that never existed, which had been going on since 2016…”. 

In order to attract the investors, Machado needed a “face” in relation to North America, and who is better than the president of AmCham Guatemala? 

But he is firm in his position, and has enough levers to “move” his friends, position and the whole leverage to do what he wishes in Guatemala. 

And it is still the question: Why such a serious Organization as AmCham keeps appointing as its chairman this shady lawyer Juan Pablo Carrasco de Groote, suspect of various crimes?; and the media does not tell that he is indeed a suspect to some justice courts in North America?

AmCham Guatemala´s chairman, Juan Pablo Carrasco de Groote

President Joe Biden´s main goal is the fight against corruption, also in the Latinamerican countries, as a declared enemy of this illegal activity. And therefore, the Organization that represents the American people in any country, should follow the principles and ethic of the country it represents. But here we have the opposite: they appointed a clearly corrupt lawyer as their chairman. That is something to think deeply about.

The North American government wants to invest in Guatemala some billions of dollars, and that money will pass through Juan Pablo Carrasco de Groote’s hands. But the same man has at the same time 26 entries in a list that displays the most corrupt men in the world. He has, then, offshore enterprises and bank accounts in them the money can simply disappear. 

Again: Why did AmCham Guatemala appointed him as its chairman?

Why isn’t he being investigated by FECI? 

Or is it that AmCham Guatemala sponsors corruption? 

Can it be possible that Juan Pablo Carrasco de Groote, just for being the head of AmCham Guatemala, will get away with it? He can do whatever he wants, and no one will bother him?