GUATEMALA
A Last, Sad Hurrah
Guatemalan police on Monday arrested former first lady and three-time presidential candidate Sandra Torres on charges of violating campaign finance rules following an investigation by a UN corruption commission that is being forced out after butting heads with the country’s political class.
Torres, who came in second during last month’s presidential election, was charged with “failing to register election financing, and unlawful association.”
Many in the country hailed the arrest – suspicions of corruption have dogged Torres for more than a decade.
She has denied all charges.
Her arrest comes one day before the closing of the International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG) whose work has rocked Guatemala’s political class for 12 years: A CICIG investigation toppled President Otto Pérez Molina in 2015 and helped expose a complex multi-billion dollar corruption network, the Financial Times reported.
Her arrest and others announced this week are considered the final acts of the commission, Reuters reported.
Last year, outgoing president Jimmy Morales refused to renew its mandate and barred its chief, Iván Velásquez, from the country.
The new president-elect Alejandro Giammattei – who has also clashed with the commission – intends to replace the CICIG with a state commission, but hasn’t provided any specifics.
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