Guatemala's Attorney General's Office challenged the dismissal of the investigation into possible irregular adoptions linked to the former "Elisa Martínez" home, as announced on Monday, June 15, during a legislative summons. The decision was contested just days before the visit to the country by the United Nations Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances.
The archives of the Secretariat of Social Welfare contain 1,008 files from the 1968–1997 period, 860 of which resulted in adoption processes, reported the Secretary of Social Welfare, Marvin Rabanales García, during a congressional summons, according to Soy 502 and La Prensa.
The official added that the Public Ministry requested files for adoptions carried out between 1981 and 1985, as well as information regarding minors, biological parents, notaries, workers, and documentation related to the former home, according to Soy 502.
Liliana Guzmán, coordinator of the criminal division of the Office of the Sub-Attorney General for Children and Adolescents of the PGN, explained to La Prensa that the notification arrived a few days after a previous meeting: “Subsequently, approximately three days later, we received a resolution through which we were notified of the dismissal of the investigation—essentially, of the complaint.”
The PGN's arguments against the dismissal
The PGN challenges the grounds for the dismissal. During the summons, it was indicated that the Public Ministry arg...
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The Guatemala report details 744 cases of abuse and 429 related incidents, with the greatest impact on women and a concentration in four departments during 2026 (Photo courtesy PGN). The Attorney General's Office of Guatemala challenged the dismissal of the investigation into possible irregular adoptions linked to the former "Elisa Martínez" home, as announced on Monday, June 15, during a legislative summons. The decision was contested days before the visit to the country by the United Nations Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances. Within the archives of the Secretariat of Social Welfare, there are 1,008 files from the 1968-1997 period, and 860 resulted in adoption processes, reported the Secretary of Social Welfare, Marvin Rabanales García, during a summons in Congress, according to Soy 502 and La Prensa. The official added that the Public Ministry requested files on adoptions carried out between 1981 and 1985, as well as information regarding minors, biological parents, notaries, workers, and documentation related to the former home, according to Soy 502. Liliana Guzmán, coordinator of the criminal area of the Office of the Child and Adolescent Attorney of the PGN, explained to La Prensa that the notification arrived a few days after a previous meeting: “Subsequently, approximately three days later, we received a resolution through which we were notified of the dismissal of the investigation, essentially of the complaint.” In Guatemala, PGN personnel and humanitarian partners assist children and adolescents, as part of a group of 300 children and adolescents reallocated for family reunification. (PGN of Guatemala) The PGN questions the grounds for the dismissal. During the summons, it was indicated that the Public Ministry argued there were no elements to attribute conduct to a specific person, particularly Consuelo Porras, according to Soy 502. According to La Prensa, Guzmán stated that the prosecution considered that a previous resolution from the Supreme Court of Justice, which rejected a request to strip immunity from the Attorney General, prevented further investigation. “They considered that because the complaint had been declared unfounded, there was no grounds to continue investigating and therefore the complaint is dismissed,” she told La Prensa. Lucrecia Prera, Deputy Attorney General of the PGN, maintained that the complaints filed by the institution did not seek to initially target a specific person, but rather to clarify facts in general terms, according to Soy 502. Prera added that an opposition has already been filed before the corresponding court and that the institution expects the respective hearing to be set, according to Soy 502. She also indicated that the PGN considers it necessary for investigations to continue and deepen to determine if there was any responsibility. It is known that the investigations into irregular adoptions in Guatemala involve the possible participation of former Attorney General Consuelo Porras. According to the PGN, the resolution dismissing the complaint was promoted by the Prosecutor's Office against Justice Operators. During the summons, it was indicated that the request was signed by prosecutor José Raúl Hernández Rivera and endorsed by prosecutor Leonor Eugenia Morales, according to La Prensa. Claudia Ordóñez, representing the Presidential Commission for Peace and Human Rights, reported that the visit of the United Nations Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances will take place from June 23 to July 3, according to Soy 502. “From June 23 to July 3, we have the visit of the Working Group specifically for enforced or involuntary disappearance, which was precisely the special procedure that referred us to the State of Guatemala to begin this investigation,” she told La Prensa. ARCHIVE - the Public Ministry decided to dismiss the investigation, arguing that there were no elements establishing conduct attributed to a specific person, namely former prosecutor Consuelo Porras. (AP Photo/Luis Soto, Archive) According to the official call cited by La Prensa, the group seeks to gather firsthand information on enforced disappearances in Guatemala, evaluate progress in truth, justice, reparation, and memory, and identify the obstacles that persist for the clarification of these cases