Guatemala prosecutor requests president’s detention amid scandal

A Guatemalan judge has issued an unprecedented order to detain President Otto Perez Molina in a fraud scandal that has engulfed his government, becoming the most serious blow so far against entrenched political corruption in the Central American country.

The order is not for arrest, but for Perez Molina to declare before Judge Miguel Angel Galvea, who granted the request Wednesday from Attorney General Thelma Aldana, she told Canal Antigua television.

The president will have to appear on accusations of illicit association, fraud and receiving bribe money in a customs fraud scandal in which the vice president has already been jailed and some of his Cabinet ministers have stepped down.

Galvez will decide the next step based on the president's testimony, which could include stripping Perez Molina of his position, jailing him or leaving him in his post and free during the judicial process.

It is the latest step in a crisis that has roiled Guatemala for months. Perez Molina, a retired general who was elected on a ticket to combat crime and corruption, was stripped of his immunity from prosecution by lawmakers on Tuesday. Prosecutors, who deemed Perez Molina a flight risk, had barred him from leaving the country on Tuesday. However, the president's lawyer said earlier on Wednesday, before the detention order was issued, that his client would not flee the country.

It was not immediately clear when the order to detain Perez Molina would go into effect. However, Guatemala's police are usually implement such orders between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. 

It is the first time a sitting Guatemalan president has faced legal prosecution, though several have faced corruption charges after leaving office.

Prosecutors have said they have reason to believe Perez Molina was involved in a fraud scandal involving bribes funneled to a chain of officials who helped businesses evade import duties. Aldana has said Perez Molina, 64, is being investigated for possible illicit association, bribery and customs fraud. 

Perez Molina has maintained his innocence and vows to face the legal process. No formal charges have been filed.

Uncovered by prosecutors and a U.N. commission probing criminal networks in Guatemala, the corruption scandal involved a scheme known as "La Linea," or "The Line," in which businesspeople paid bribes to avoid import duties through the customs agency. The ring is believed to have defrauded the state of millions of dollars.

The scandal has already claimed the job of former Vice President Roxana Baldetti, whose onetime personal secretary was named as the alleged ringleader. Baldetti resigned May 8 and is currently in jail awaiting trial on accusations she took millions of dollars in bribes. Llike Perez Molina, she says she is innocent.

Protesters have been filling the streets almost daily over the scandal, demanding not only that Perez Molina step down but that next Sunday's presidential elections be postponed. He says delaying the vote would be against the law.

Perez Molina is constitutionally barred from seeking re-election, and whoever becomes his successor would take office in January.

A judge appointed to oversee the case could decide that Perez should await trial behind bars.

If Perez is jailed, the judge would be able to order the end of his presidency, prosecutors have said. According to the constitution, current vice president, Alejandro Maldonado, would step in. 

Those voting against Perez Molina in Congress earlier in the week included members of his own ruling party.

Business leaders, Guatemala's National Council of Bishops and even the government comptrollers' office have all urged Perez Molina to step down.

Wire services