Guatemala - December 2022

Former president of Guatemala, Otto Perez Molina, was found guilty of racketeering and fraud regarding the “La Línea” corruption scandal involving the country’s customs system. The accusations against him detailed that bribes were received in exchange for waiving import duties for certain businesses during his term in office (2012-2015). His vice president, Roxana Baldetti, was also convicted. The former president has stated he will appeal the sentence of 16 years of imprisonment.

Findings on the “La Línea” scandal were part of a wider inquiry into corruption in government structures that was initially supported by a United Nations anti-corruption commission (Comisión Internacional contra la Impunidad en Guatemala, CICIG), before its mandate was ended by former president Jimmy Morales in 2019, amid investigations into his own administration.

Sources: Al Jazeera, Deutsche Welle