Guatemalan leader jailed hours after resigning
Former president suspected of illicit association, fraud and receiving bribes
GUATEMALA CITY— Just hours after tendering his resignation as president of Guatemala, Otto Perez Molina, a former general and the nation’s most powerful man, was sent to jail to await the conclusion of a hearing examining his role in a multimilliondollar customs fraud.
The decision to detain Perez Molina, much like his resignation, is unprecedented in Guatemalan history and was a stunning conclusion to a day of swift change in the Central American nation.
Perez Molina tendered his resignation overnight and by midmorning Thursday the country’s congress had accepted it. He then presented himself before the courts for the evidentiary hearing, where prosecutors played more than six hours of wire- tapped conversations.
At the conclusion of the hearing, which will resume early Friday, the judge ordered the former president to be held at Matamoros prison in central Guatemala City. Perez Molina, on his way out of the courtroom, spoke briefly to reporters, maintaining his composure.
“It’s one thing to listen but another thing to investigate,” he said, referring to the long day of taped conversations. “All Guatemalans have to respect the law, and I assure you I will respect the law and this process.”
Perez Molina appeared in court on Thursday after congress voted earlier this week to strip him of his immu- nity from prosecution.
Prosecutor Thelma Aldana has said the former president is suspected of illicit association, fraud and receiving bribes in connection with a conspiracy that is believed to have bilked the government out of millions of dollars.
Officials allegedly took bribes in ex- change for letting businesses evade import duties through the customs agency. Perez Molina has denied any wrongdoing.
The country’s new president, former vice-president Alejandro Maldonado, was promoted to the country’s top spot following Perez Molina’s resignation.
But Maldonado, who had served only a few months as Guatemala’s No. 2 official before being sworn in Thursday, will have a short stay in the presidency as well. He will be replaced on Jan. 14, 2016, when the winner of Sunday’s presidential contest is inaugurated.
After assuming the top office, Maldonado immediately asked for all the government’s ministers and top officials to offer their resignations.