Death of Ana Cecilia Magallanes

Anti-Corruption Fighter and Integrity Award Winner

The death of Dr. Ana Cecilia Magallanes Cortez, one of Peru’s most respected prosecutors, a dedicated anti-corruption fighter and winner of the 2006 Transparency International Integrity Awards, is cause for great sadness and a deep sense of loss.

Dr. Magallanes was the leading force in the prosecution of approximately 1,500 members of the criminal network headed by Vladimiro Montesinos. Her efforts led to the arrest of - among others - former Peruvian President Alberto Fujimori, generals, Supreme Court justices, judges and media magnates and helped initiate the recovery of US $250 million.

The entire Transparency International movement was privileged to pay tribute to Dr. Magallanes’s bravery and commitment in person as she and her family made an extraordinary effort and attended the International Anti-Corruption Conference in Guatemala where the award ceremony was held. It was an honour to be able to witness the will of an already ill Dr. Magallanes as more than one thousand experts and anti-corruption practitioners from all over the world applauded her as she received the Integrity Award. TI’s Global Corruption Report 2007: Corruption in Judicial Systems, was also dedicated to her.

Dr. Magallanes’s courage, iron will and selfless dedication to the anti-corruption and human rights causes left an indelible mark on democracy and justice in Peru, and is a lesson to us all

Our thoughts are with her husband and children, friends and colleagues.

Dr. Ana Cecilia Magallanes was and will without doubt remain a source of inspiration for a new generation of judges and prosecutors in Peru and beyond.

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Transparency International is the global civil society organisation leading the fight against corruption.

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Gypsy Guillén Kaiser
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