Former Guatemalan president Portillo arrested at request of US

Tue, 26 Jan 2010

Guatemala City - Former Guatemalan president Alfonso Portillo was arrested Tuesday at a luxury Caribbean resort in the country, one day after he was indicted on money laundering charges in the United States. Guatemalan President Alvaro Colom confirmed Portillo's arrest, which had been requested by US authorities for laundering an estimated 70 million dollars involving US banks.

"Nobody is above the law," Colom said.

The money allegedly came from the embezzlement of public funds. Preet Bharara, US attorney for the Southern District of New York, said Monday that Portillo was charged with "converting the office of the Guatemalan presidency into his personal ATM."

Public prosecutor Amilcar Velasquez said Portillo, who ruled Guatemala from 2000 to 2004, was arrested in Punta de Palma, Izabal, 300 kilometers north of Guatemala City in a major police operation.

Guatemalan authorities had been looking for Portillo, 58, since Sunday.

Only a few days after leaving office in 2004, Portillo left for Mexico, amid allegations of corruption during his presidency. He has repeatedly denied wrongdoing and claims he is the object of politically motivated persecution.

Portillo was extradited to Guatemala in November 2008, although he was released on bail.

Source: Earth Times.
Link: http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/305976,former-guatemalan-president-portillo-arrested-at-request-of-us.html.