Prominent Guatemalan Anticorruption Lawyer Juan Francisco Solorzano Foppa Fatally Shot at Sports Complex

Juan Francisco Solorzano Foppa, a distinguished lawyer known for his high-profile cases against influential Guatemalan businessmen, has been killed after being shot by two assailants at a sports center. The incident occurred on Saturday at the Campo Marte sports complex in Guatemala City, claiming the lives of both Foppa and another individual, Gustavo Adolfo Aguilar Gamarro, as confirmed by the Public Prosecutor’s Office. Authorities reported the subsequent arrest of two men in connection with the crime, along with the seizure of a carbine-style firearm and a motorcycle.

Foppa, 43, was a former prosecutor and a dedicated anticorruption lawyer who had previously exposed wrongdoing by some of Guatemala’s most powerful political figures, business leaders, and corporations. In 2023, he briefly served on the defense team for a prominent journalist.

President Bernardo Arevalo issued a strong condemnation of the attack, stating on his official X account, “I strongly condemn the cowardly murder of former prosecutor Juan Francisco Solorzano Foppa. Both the direct perpetrators and those who ordered the crime must face the full weight of the law.” President Arevalo has directed his government to collaborate with relevant authorities to ensure the swift resolution of the crime, emphasizing that attempts to intimidate the people and government of Guatemala through terror will fail.

Previously, Foppa led the Criminal Investigations Directorate within the Public Prosecutor’s Office. He also headed Guatemala’s tax authority (SAT) from 2016 to 2018, during which time he was instrumental in prosecuting numerous influential Guatemalan business figures and recovering substantial unpaid taxes.

In 2025, Foppa had alleged connections between the Barrio 18 gang and the National Unity of Hope party, as well as links between criminal gangs and the judicial system. In 2023, he briefly joined the defense team of Guatemalan journalist Jose Ruben Zamora, who has become an international figure symbolizing resistance against the criminalization of journalism and the erosion of judicial independence in Central America. Foppa later withdrew from the Zamora case following accusations from the Public Prosecutor’s Office of obstructing proceedings and concealing information. While he denied the charges, he accepted them as part of a plea agreement, citing his belief that he would not receive a fair trial.