The explosive videotape that has thrown Guatemala into crisis features a lawyer, very much alive, wearing a coat and tie, sitting at a desk.
In a voice calm and clear, he announces, “Good afternoon, my name is Rodrigo Rosenberg Marzano, and sadly if you are watching this message, it is because I have been murdered.”
He continues, “If you are hearing or seeing this message, it is because I was assassinated by President Alvaro Colom.”
Rosenberg, a respected lawyer with a roster of prominent clients, was killed Sunday in Guatemala City as he bicycled. Unknown assailants fired three bullets, and he died on the street.
The video was released at Rosenberg’s funeral Monday. He also blames his death on Guatemala’s first lady, Sandra de Colom, the president’s private secretary and a business partner.
In an emergency address to the nation, Colom denied having anything to do with Rosenberg’s death.
“The video is totally false. My conscience is clear,” Colom said. “This government is not guilty of thuggery or assassination.”
Rosenberg says on the tape that he feared for his life because of his work for two clients, Guatemalan businessman Khalil Musa, 74, and his daughter Marjorie Musa, 49, who were killed in March. Khalil Musa was named by Colom to the board of directors for a state-owned bank.
Rosenberg states that Musa was upset when he discovered the bank was involved in illicit transactions.