Alejandro Sinibaldi was Guatemala’s Minister of Communications, Infrastructure and Housing from 2012 to 2014 and a presidential pre-candidate in 2015. He is the Guatemalan official with the most corruption cases investigated in the last decade: at least five schemes, Odebrecht among them. His case file is also a journey across borders. He fled in July 2016 and lived in Italy, the Netherlands and Mexico. The United States designated him for corruption in December 2019. Finally, he surrendered at the Mexican border in August 2020. Six years later, he has no conviction. This piece follows the case from that angle: what the countries he passed through did, and what his own has failed to do. The analysis by fronts is in Sinibaldi’s case file at Auditoría Abierta.
The short answer. Alejandro Sinibaldi crossed more borders than courtrooms. He fled on 11 July 2016 and lived in Italy, the Netherlands and Mexico. The United States designated him for «significant corruption» on 3 December 2019. He surrendered on 24 August 2020. Since then, his five cases have been closed, reopened and closed again in the Guatemalan courts. Over Odebrecht, the Constitutional Court ordered a trial in June 2025 and ratified a favourable ruling in June 2026. As of 8 October 2026 he is free and without a conviction. The only measure in force is that of a foreign government.
Who Alejandro Sinibaldi is and why his case matters in October 2026
Sinibaldi ran the ministry that awards Guatemala’s public works during the government of Otto Pérez Molina. He withdrew his presidential candidacy in 2016 and left the country days later. At that time, the Public Prosecutor’s Office and the CICIG were closing in on the leadership of the Partido Patriota.
Moreover, his case matters for this series because it reverses the usual order. In other files, such as that of Manuel Baldizón, foreign justice convicted. Here no country tried him. The United States only designated him, Europe and Mexico hosted him without extraditing him, and Guatemala has failed to bring him to trial in six years. Bajo Lupa walks through the decisions one by one in its Sinibaldi case file.
Timeline of the Sinibaldi case, decision by decision
| Date | Body | Decision | Evidence level |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012-2014 | Odebrecht, according to the FECI | Bribes of nearly US$19 million over the CA-2 Occidente highway | Investigation |
| 11 July 2016 | Sinibaldi | Leaves Guatemala after withdrawing his candidacy | Proven |
| July 2017 | FECI and CICIG | Reveal the Construcción y Corrupción case: commissions of 5 % to 15 % | Investigation |
| September 2019 | Eleventh Criminal Court | Arrest warrant in the Transurbano case | In force until his surrender |
| November 2019 | High-Risk Court D | 12 years for René Cardona, his alleged front man | Final in October 2024 |
| 3 December 2019 | US State Department | Designation for significant corruption, with his wife and three children | Administrative sanction |
| 24 August 2020 | Sinibaldi | Surrenders at the border with Mexico, escorted by Interpol | Proven |
| September 2020 | Judge Miguel Ángel Gálvez | Bound over for trial for criminal association and laundering in Cooptación del Estado | Indictment |
| 15 October 2020 | Judge Pedro Laynez | No grounds found in Bantrab-Arca; released | Reopened by the Constitutional Court in 2024 |
| September 2023 | High-Risk Chamber | Annuls an earlier closure of the Odebrecht case and reactivates it | Proven |
| 24 April 2024 | Judge Abelina Cruz | Closes the Odebrecht case again in his favour | Overturned |
| 4 June 2025 | Constitutional Court | Overturns the Supreme Court’s amparo and orders him to stand trial over Odebrecht | Final |
| June 2025 | Third Appeals Chamber | 26 arrest warrants against former prosecutors and former CICIG officials over his complaint | Annulled |
| April 2026 | Amparo Chamber of the Supreme Court | Annuls those warrants as «illegal» | Final |
| June 2026 | Constitutional Court | Ratifies a ruling in Sinibaldi’s favour; he remains free | Final |
2016-2020: four years through Italy, the Netherlands and Mexico
Sinibaldi left Guatemala on 11 July 2016, shortly after withdrawing his candidacy, according to Prensa Libre. He spent most of the time in Italy and then fled to the Netherlands and Mexico, according to InSight Crime. None of those three countries extradited him. The sources consulted record no completed extradition procedure. On 24 August 2020 he surrendered at the border with Mexico, escorted by Interpol, according to Nómada. «4 years and 3 months» had passed, which he himself described as being «exiled» or «a fugitive from justice». By then he had accumulated at least eight arrest warrants.
2019: the United States designation
On 3 December 2019, while he was still a fugitive, the State Department publicly designated him for his involvement in «significant corruption», according to Prensa Libre. The legal basis was section 7031(c), the same one used against Juan Carlos Varela in Panama. The then Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, announced it on social media. The designation included his wife, his eldest son and two minor children, and bars them from entering the United States. The official text states that Sinibaldi «participated in and benefited from corruption in the public sector», according to La Red. It is an administrative sanction by a foreign government, not a conviction, and there is no record of it being reversed. Consequently, it is today the only measure in force against him in any jurisdiction.
Odebrecht: nearly US$19 million and a case that opens and closes
According to the Special Prosecutor’s Office against Impunity, Odebrecht paid bribes of nearly US$19 million in exchange for the CA-2 Occidente highway. The section links Cocales and Tecún Umán, according to Prensa Comunitaria. The investigation identified Sinibaldi and Manuel Baldizón as the main beneficiaries. The money was allegedly concealed through shell companies, lawyers and the intermediary Carlos Batres Gil, according to La Hora.
The judicial path has been erratic. In September 2023, a High-Risk Chamber annulled an earlier closure and reactivated the case. On 24 April 2024, Judge Abelina Cruz closed it again. On 4 June 2025, the Constitutional Court overturned a Supreme Court amparo and ordered Sinibaldi to stand trial, according to La Hora. However, in June 2026 the same Court ratified a ruling in Sinibaldi’s favour, according to Prensa Comunitaria and Emisoras Unidas. As of that date he remained free. The sources consulted record no trial having begun.
The other four cases: none with a verdict
First, there is Cooptación del Estado and its offshoot La Coperacha. The FECI and the CICIG documented commissions paid by companies in exchange for contracts between 2012 and 2015. They also recorded contributions for gifts to Pérez Molina and Roxana Baldetti, according to Prensa Libre and Plaza Pública. In September 2020, Judge Miguel Ángel Gálvez bound him over for trial for criminal association and laundering. In addition, the Asset Forfeiture Court keeps several of his properties under seizure.
The second is Bantrab-Arca, an alleged diversion of Q26 million from the Banco de los Trabajadores to a company linked to him to finance the 2012 campaign, according to RICIG. On 15 October 2020, Judge Pedro Laynez released him for lack of grounds. In April 2024, the Constitutional Court set that closure aside. The third is Transurbano, over shell companies with security contracts for the capital’s transport system, with an arrest warrant since September 2019. The fourth is Construcción y Corrupción, revealed in July 2017. According to Prensa Comunitaria, a structure collected commissions of between 5 % and 15 % on his ministry’s contracts. His brother, Luis Rodrigo Sinibaldi, has had an arrest warrant since 2017 over that case.
The only final conviction is his front man’s
René Felipe Cardona Pérez was the legal representative of companies linked to Sinibaldi. According to the investigation, those companies channelled bribes through invoices for sham services between 2012 and 2014. In November 2019, High-Risk Court D sentenced him to 12 years for criminal association and laundering. The sentence became final on 2 October 2024, when the Constitutional Court rejected his last appeal, according to Prensa Comunitaria. That conviction is against Cardona. Sinibaldi has not been convicted over those facts.
2025-2026: the counteroffensive against those who investigated him
Sinibaldi filed the complaint that gave rise to proceedings against those who investigated Odebrecht in Guatemala, according to Prensa Libre. In June 2025, the Third Appeals Chamber ordered 26 arrests for criminal association, influence peddling and obstruction. Those affected included the former CICIG commissioner Iván Velásquez and the former attorney general Thelma Aldana. Also named were the former head of the FECI, Juan Francisco Sandoval, and Colombia’s attorney general, Luz Adriana Camargo. In April 2026, the Amparo Chamber of the Supreme Court annulled those warrants. It found that the Chamber had acted outside its jurisdiction and described its resolution as «illegal and in breach of fundamental rights», according to Prensa Comunitaria.
What Sinibaldi says and what his accusers say
Sinibaldi maintains that the investigation against him was marked by «terrible illegalities» attributed to Sandoval and his team, according to Emisoras Unidas. On surrendering he said he was submitting to justice «trusting in the professionalism of its officials». The FECI and the CICIG described him as the head of several commission-collecting structures. The State Department states that he participated in and benefited from corruption. No Guatemalan court has handed down a verdict.
How to read this case file
Three keys. First: Sinibaldi has no conviction, but no acquittal either. His cases were closed through procedural decisions that the Constitutional Court has reversed several times. Second: the United States designation is administrative and proves no crime, even if it is the only measure in force. Third: his front man’s conviction and his brother’s arrest warrant are not convictions of his own. To compare with another Guatemalan defendant from the same scheme, Auditoría Abierta publishes the case file of Manuel Baldizón in its list of cases.
Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
Where was Alejandro Sinibaldi while he was a fugitive?
In Italy for most of the time, and then in the Netherlands and Mexico, according to InSight Crime. He left Guatemala on 11 July 2016 and surrendered at the Mexican border on 24 August 2020, after 4 years and 3 months. None of those countries extradited him.
Why did the United States designate Sinibaldi?
For his involvement in «significant corruption», under section 7031(c), on 3 December 2019. The State Department stated that he «participated in and benefited from corruption in the public sector». The measure bars him, his wife and three children from entering the United States. It is not a conviction.
Has Sinibaldi been convicted?
No. None of his five cases has reached a verdict. The only person with a final conviction in his circle is his alleged front man, René Cardona, with 12 years since October 2024.
What happened with Sinibaldi’s Odebrecht case?
It was closed in 2024 and the Constitutional Court ordered a trial on 4 June 2025. However, in June 2026 the same Court ratified a ruling in Sinibaldi’s favour. As of 8 October 2026 he remained free and without a trial. The FECI attributed to him bribes of nearly US$19 million over the CA-2 Occidente highway.
How many cases does Sinibaldi have?
Five: Odebrecht, Cooptación del Estado and La Coperacha, Bantrab-Arca, Transurbano and Construcción y Corrupción. When he surrendered in 2020 he had at least eight arrest warrants.
What was Sinibaldi’s complaint against the prosecutors?
A complaint that led in June 2025 to 26 arrest warrants against former prosecutors and former CICIG officials, among them Iván Velásquez and Thelma Aldana. In April 2026, the Supreme Court annulled them as «illegal».
Who is René Cardona?
Sinibaldi’s alleged front man, legal representative of companies that channelled bribes through sham invoices between 2012 and 2014. He was sentenced to 12 years in November 2019 and the sentence became final on 2 October 2024.
Does Sinibaldi have seized assets?
Yes. Several luxury properties remain seized by the Asset Forfeiture Court. According to the FECI, they were used as offices, warehouses and the campaign headquarters of the Partido Patriota.
Sources consulted
- Prensa Libre: Se entrega Alejandro Sinibaldi, prófugo desde 2016 (24 August 2020)
- InSight Crime: Retorno de fugitivo promete nuevas revelaciones (2023)
- Nómada: Recuento de las acusaciones contra Alejandro Sinibaldi (2020)
- Prensa Libre: Sinibaldi y los casos que lo tienen frente a la justicia (2020)
- Plaza Pública: La estrategia legal de Sinibaldi para salir de cinco casos (2024)
- RICIG: Alejandro Sinibaldi se pone a disposición de la justicia (2020)
- Prensa Comunitaria: Avanza deportación del hermano de Sinibaldi (2023)
- Prensa Comunitaria: Anulan resolución que había cerrado el caso Odebrecht (2023)
- La Hora: Revés para Sinibaldi, la CC revoca amparo y debe ir a juicio (4 June 2025)
- Prensa Comunitaria: CC ratifica fallo favorable a Sinibaldi (June 2026)
- Emisoras Unidas: Caso Odebrecht, CC ratifica fallo que beneficia a Sinibaldi (2026)
- La Hora: Del megacaso Odebrecht a la liberación de Baldizón y Sinibaldi (2026)
- Prensa Libre: Estados Unidos incluye en la lista negra a Alejandro Sinibaldi y su familia (3 December 2019)
- La Red 106.1: Departamento de Estado designó a Alejandro Sinibaldi como una persona corrupta (2019)
- Prensa Libre: CSJ anula órdenes de captura contra exfiscales y exfuncionarios de Cicig (April 2026)
- Prensa Comunitaria: CSJ anula órdenes de captura contra Iván Velásquez y exfiscales anticorrupción (2026)
- Prensa Comunitaria: El testaferro de Alejandro Sinibaldi deberá cumplir condena por dos delitos (October 2024)
This piece records documented facts and allegations attributed to their authors. The mention of an allegation does not imply its truth, and the position of the person named is recorded in each case. Bajo Lupa Digital offers Alejandro Sinibaldi space to respond and will update the text with every development. Information verified as of 8 October 2026.
Investigative Journalist and Data Specialist
Mijael Galvez Aleman is an investigative journalist specializing in the auditing of public resources, the financial analysis of government management, and data journalism in the region. His work focuses on tracking budget flows, state contracts, and regulatory backgrounds to audit the exercise of power using a methodology strictly based on official documents.
At Bajo Lupa Digital, he leads database cross-referencing and documentary verification for in-depth reports. His work ensures that each investigation is fortified by rigorous quantitative and qualitative analysis, offering readers a transparent, verifiable perspective free from political speculation.