"The apprehension of the ex-vice president is confirmed," Julia Barrera, spokeswoman for the Public Prosecutor's Office, told reporters Friday morning. The warrant for Roxana Baldetti's arrest includes charges of illicit association, fraud and bribery.
The Constitutional Court rejected President Otto Pérez Molina's appeal for presidential immunity that also sought to legally erase a pre-trial investigation of graft allegations, chief justice Gloria Porras told reporters.
In a country where a recent history of repressive military rule has instilled a deep fear of political activism in many Guatemalans, observers have labeled the youth-led citizen movement that's taken to the streets and social media to demand an end to government corruption a “Guatemalan spring.”
GUATEMALA CITY, Guatemala — Guatemalan President Otto Pérez Molina announced Friday that his vice president, Roxana Baldetti, was resigning after one of her top aides was accused of participating in a customs bribery ring.
Last week Guatemalan and international prosecutors announced they had issued arrest warrants for 22 people allegedly involved in a criminal network that took bribes in exchange for reduced customs duties, making millions off the foregone government revenue. Among those arrested were the current and former heads of Guatemala’s tax administration, the president of national newspaper SigloXXI and Baldetti’s private secretary, Juan Carlos Monzón.
