Top corruption prosecutor held in jail as Guatemalan elite bids to purge foes

Virginia Laparra detained in conditions bordering on torture', which critics say is retaliation for her efforts to fight corruption

A Guatemalan anti-corruption prosecutor has been locked up for six months in conditions bordering on torture", as the country's ruling elite pursues a strategy to purge the justice system and derail corruption investigations against their allies.

Virginia Laparra, 42, a senior anti-corruption prosecutor, was accused of abuse of authority in apparent retaliation for reporting her suspicion that a judge had leaked sensitive details from a sealed corruption case to a colleague in 2017.