The former anti-corruption prosecutor was arrested in Guatemala

GUATEMALA CITY — Guatemalan police on Friday arrested the country’s prosecutor for crimes against migrants and accused him of abuse of power.

Stuardo Campos was previously an anti-corruption prosecutor in the country under the administration of former President Jimmy Morales. It was not immediately clear whether the charges relate to his current or former position.

Campos was sued by the far-right Anti-Terrorism Foundation, a group that began defending military officers accused of war crimes but has also targeted members of the judiciary who have dealt with corruption cases.

“This complaint is false,” Campos said. “I know that my work as an anti-corruption prosecutor has caused me hostility in many areas.”

Campos was known for an investigation into a government highway project during the Morales administration. Several administration officials were arrested when repeated landslides and other problems were blamed on poor construction.

In recent years, investigations and prosecutions have been launched against a number of prosecutors and judges dealing with anti-corruption cases. Many of them fled the country to avoid prosecution by the Attorney General’s Office, the United States government, and others accused of seeking revenge against members of the judiciary.

More recently, as the lead prosecutor for migrant crimes, Campos was credited with dismantling migrant smuggling rings and oversaw the first extradition of Guatemalans accused of migrant smuggling to the United States.