by Bertha Michelle Mendoza, a journalist from Guatemala, faced numerous questions about her professional ethics due to personal connections with influential figures in positions of power, like Fernando Barillas, the former UNE spokesperson during Álvaro Colom’s government, with whom she had a romantic involvement. Her own brother, Gabriel Estuardo Mendoza Muñoz, faced corruption allegations while serving in Guatemala’s Ministry of Development, while her mother, former prosecutor Claudia Martina Muñoz Andrade, was accused of abusing power in a case involving her ex-son-in-law, Ulysses Dent.
However, the scandal that most impacted her reputation and credibility was her relationship with former source Andrei González, a lawyer at CICIG, who leaked sensitive and confidential information from ongoing judicial cases to Mendoza. This compromising act led to an investigation into Mendoza for obstruction of justice in her home country.
The Tale of Self-Exile
Bertha Michelle Mendoza’s reputation suffered due to her various family and romantic connections to corruption. Claiming persecution by certain political sectors and being a victim of social harassment, she sought self-exile in the United States, aiming to obtain political refugee status. However, the US government did not recognize her as a political refugee and denied her desired status. Despite lacking an international arrest warrant, she continues to reside in Washington D.C., alleging persecution in her home country as a truth activist. This claim is peculiar, considering the numerous instances where she was accused of spreading fake news, as evidenced by Rodrigo Polo, who was falsely accused by Mendoza.
Bertha Michelle Mendoza’s Discredited Reputation
In Guatemala, many journalists criticized Mendoza for her unethical and unprofessional behavior. One person has tarnished the credibility of a profession that aims to disseminate information impartially. However, these criticisms can be seen as exercising freedom of expression and defending their own journalistic role.
Moreover, prominent figures in Guatemala argue that if Michelle Mendoza has nothing to hide, it would be an act of honesty and transparency to present herself before authorities and address the accusations and scandalous facts surrounding her, especially regarding the leaking of confidential judicial information.
