The Strange Case of Rodrigo Rosenberg

On Sunday, May 10, Rodrigo Rosenberg set out to ride his bicycle in Guatemala City and was shot and killed by unknown gunmen.

He was scheduled to be the guest of journalist Mario David García's radio show, Hablando Claro, on Monday to talk about the murder of Rosenberg's clients Khalil Musa and his daughter Marjorie.

Musa, a prominent businessman, and his daughter were killed last March. No one has been charged on those two murders.

Rodrigo Rosenberg claimed that Musa, his client, had been murdered because he had refused to participate in corrupt business deals at Banrural, one of Guatemala's largest banks, after Musa had been named to the bank's board by Guatemalan President Álvaro Colom.

During Rosenberg's funeral, the media received a statement - first as an audio, later a video - where Rosenberg blames Colom, Colom's wife Sandra, Colom's private secretary Gustavo Alejos, and businessman Gregorio Valdez for his own murder. The Wall Street Journal has the part of the video with subtitles, which starts with Rodrigo Rosenberg saying,

"If you are hearing or seeing this message it's because I was assassinated by President Álvaro Colom, with the help of Mr. Gustavo Alejos and Mr. Gregorio Valdez."

Along with the video, a letter allegedly signed by Rosenberg lists the accusations against Colom.

Mario David García says he filmed the video with Rosenberg, and said he is now worried about his own life.

So far there is no evidence to support Rosenberg's allegations.

President Colom has vehemently denied any links to the murder. While there are calls for his resignation, Colom will not step down, and stated he has requested the help of the FBI and UN agency International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG, Comisión Internacional Contra la Impunidad en Guatemala). The CICIG was created in 2007 to fight widespread corruption in the country.