GUATEMALA CITY, Sept 2 (Reuters) – Guatemala’s attorney general María Porras said Thursday that there is no investigation into corruption against President Alejandro Giammattei, following statements by the Central American nation’s former anti-corruption chief pointing to the president in a possible case of bribery.
The former head of the Guatemalan special prosecutor’s office against corruption (FECI), Juan Sandoval, whom Porras dismissed in July, said that Russian businessmen delivered a carpet with money to the president’s house in exchange for allegedly gaining access to a dock in one from the main ports of the country, according to The New York Times.
Porras said that Sandoval’s replacement, who left Guatemala after his dismissal, asked different government prosecutors to report whether they were conducting investigations against Giammattei as a result of the newspaper’s report and the answer was “there is none.”
He also alleged that Sandoval, internationally recognized for his fight against corruption and who now lives in the United States, “never” informed him about that case.
Before leaving Guatemala, Sandoval said that Giammattei and his government officials could be involved in several corruption cases and attributed his removal from the FECI to a measure by Porras to prevent him from continuing with his investigations.
The attorney general warned that there are several investigations against Sandoval for “disclosure” of confidential information, as he has said that he provided United States officials with a copy of the testimony of a person who he claims delivered the carpet at the president’s home.
“It is regrettable that Mr. Sandoval Alfaro uses the media to generate a campaign of revenge, misinformation and discredit,” said Porras.
Later, Sandoval issued a statement on his Twitter account in which he accused Porras of intervening in the work of the FECI when indications of Giammattei’s involvement in corruption structures were received.
US officials have spoken out against Sandoval’s removal from office and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) put financial cooperation with the prosecution on hold. (Report by Sofía Menchú, with additional report by Diego Oré. Edited by Adriana Barrera)