I 
116TH CONGRESS 
1ST SESSION H. R. 1630 
To impose sanctions under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Account-
ability Act to combat corruption, money laundering, and impunity in 
Guatemala, and for other purposes. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
MARCH 7, 2019 
Mrs. TORRES of California (for herself, Mr. MCGOVERN, Mr. LOWENTHAL, 
Ms. OMAR, Ms. HAALAND, Mr. RUSH, Mr. CICILLINE, Mr. POCAN, Mr. 
LEVIN of Michigan, Mr. HIMES, Mr. RASKIN, Ms. LEE of California, Mr. 
BLUMENAUER, Mr. ESPAILLAT, Mr. HUFFMAN, Mrs. NAPOLITANO, Ms. 
NORTON, Mr. BEYER, Mrs. WATSON COLEMAN, Mr. JOHNSON of Geor-
gia, Mr. GALLEGO, Mr. DEFAZIO, and Mr. COHEN) introduced the fol-
lowing bill; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and 
in addition to the Committee on the Judiciary, for a period to be subse-
quently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such 
provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned 
A BILL 
To impose sanctions under the Global Magnitsky Human 
Rights Accountability Act to combat corruption, money 
laundering, and impunity in Guatemala, and for other 
purposes. 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa-
tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 
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SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 
This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Guatemala Rule of 
Law Accountability Act’’. 
SEC. 2. DEFINITIONS. 
In this Act: 
(1) APPROPRIATE
CONGRESSIONAL
COMMIT-
TEES.—The term ‘‘appropriate congressional com-
mittees’’ means— 
(A) the Committee on Foreign Relations 
and the Committee on Appropriations of the 
Senate; and 
(B) the Committee on Foreign Affairs and 
the Committee on Appropriations of the House 
of Representatives. 
(2) FOREIGN PERSON.—The term ‘‘foreign per-
son’’ means a person that is not a United States 
person. 
(3) KNOWINGLY.—The term ‘‘knowingly’’, with 
respect to conduct, a circumstance, or a result, 
means that a person has actual knowledge, or should 
have known, of the conduct, the circumstance, or the 
result. 
(4) 
UNITED
STATES
PERSON.—The 
term 
‘‘United States person’’ means— 
(A) a natural person who is a citizen or 
resident of the United States or a national of 
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the United States (as such term is defined in 
section 101(a) of the Immigration and Nation-
ality Act (8 U.S.C. 1101(a))); or 
(B) an entity that is organized under the 
laws of the United States or any jurisdiction 
within the United States. 
SEC. 3. FINDINGS. 
Congress makes the following findings: 
(1) The Department of State’s 2018 Inter-
national Narcotics Control Strategy Report stated 
that, in Guatemala, ‘‘widespread corruption per-
meates public and private institutions and exacer-
bates the country’s security, governmental, and eco-
nomic challenges’’. 
(2) The same report, discussing money laun-
dering in Guatemala, noted that ‘‘[d]rug trafficking 
is a major source of illicit funds. Other sources in-
clude corruption, extortion, human trafficking, com-
merce of other illicit goods, and tax evasion. Money 
is laundered primarily through real estate, ranching, 
and the gaming industry. It is also laundered 
through a series of small transactions below the U.S. 
$10,000 reporting requirement, either in small 
banks along the Guatemala-Mexico border, or by 
travelers carrying cash to other countries’’. 
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(3) On August 10, 2018, Guatemala’s Attorney 
General filed a request before the Supreme Court of 
Guatemala to remove the immunity of Guatemala’s 
President, Jimmy Morales, so that he could be 
charged for the crime of illicit election financing, 
based on investigations carried out jointly by the Of-
fice of the Attorney General and the International 
Commission 
against 
Impunity 
in 
Guatemala 
(CICIG). 
(4) In August 2018, the Guatemalan Supreme 
Court ruled that there was sufficient evidence for 
the Guatemalan Congress to decide if President Mo-
rales should be investigated for illicit election financ-
ing. 
(5) On January 7, 2019, the Government of 
Guatemala announced that it was terminating the 
agreement establishing CICIG effective immediately. 
(6) The United Nations responded that the Sec-
retary-General ‘‘strongly rejects’’ the announcement, 
stating ‘‘The mandate of the Commission is set to 
end on 3 September 2019. Until that date, we ex-
pect the Government of Guatemala to entirely fulfill 
its legal obligations under the Agreement. The Sec-
retary-General expects the Government of Guate-
mala to abide by its international undertakings to 
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ensure the protection of the CICIG personnel, both 
international and national.’’. 
SEC. 4. GLOBAL MAGNITSKY SANCTIONS AGAINST FOREIGN 
PERSONS THAT ENGAGE IN CORRUPTION 
AND OTHER ACTIVITIES IN GUATEMALA. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 90 days after the 
date of the enactment of this Act and as appropriate 
thereafter, the President shall impose the sanctions de-
scribed in subsection (b) on any foreign person who is a 
current or former official of the Government of Guate-
mala, or any foreign person acting on behalf of or in co-
operation with an official of such Government, who has 
knowingly— 
(1) committed or facilitated significant corrup-
tion, money laundering, narcotics trafficking, or fi-
nancing political campaigns with the proceeds of 
narcotics trafficking; 
(2) obstructed investigations or prosecutions 
carried out by Guatemalan officials of acts described 
in paragraph (1); 
(3) misused equipment provided by the Sec-
retary of State or the Secretary of Defense to the 
Guatemalan military or national civilian police for 
the purpose of combating drug trafficking or secur-
ing Guatemala’s border; 
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(4) disobeyed rulings of the Guatemalan Con-
stitutional Court, including rulings related to the 
conduct of elections; or 
(5) impeded or interfered with the work of any 
United States Government agency or any institution 
receiving contributions from the United States Gov-
ernment, including the International Commission 
against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG). 
(b) SANCTIONS
DESCRIBED.—The sanctions de-
scribed in this subsection are the sanctions described in 
section 1263(b) of the Global Magnitsky Human Rights 
Accountability Act (subtitle F of title XII of the National 
Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017 (Public 
Law 114–328; 22 U.S.C. 2656 note)). 
(c) REGULATORY AUTHORITY.—The President shall 
issue such regulations, licenses, and orders as are nec-
essary to carry out this section. 
(d) EXCEPTION TO COMPLY WITH UNITED NATIONS 
HEADQUARTERS AGREEMENT.—Sanctions described in 
subsection (b) shall not apply to an alien if admitting such 
alien into the United States is necessary to permit the 
United States to comply with the Agreement regarding the 
Headquarters of the United Nations, signed at Lake Suc-
cess June 26, 1947, and entered into force November 21, 
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