Guatemalan President resigns amid corruption scandal

Guatemalan President resigns amid corruption scandal

PanARMENIAN.Net - Guatemalan President Otto Perez Molina has resigned hours after a judge issued a warrant for his arrest, BBC News reports.

Prosecutors accuse Perez Molina of masterminding a scheme to defraud the customs service of millions of dollars. He denies the allegations.

On Tuesday, September 2 Congress stripped him of his immunity from prosecution, a first in the Central American nation.

A spokesman said Perez Molina had decided to step down to "confront the proceedings against him".

Molina's resignation comes just days before Sunday's presidential election, in which he was barred from standing under constitutional rules.

Vice-President Alejandro Maldonado is expected to govern until the new president is sworn in on 14 January.

Photo: AFP/ Getty Images
 Top stories
Azerbaijani authorities report that they have already resettled 3,000 people in the Nagorno-Karabakh town of Stepanakert.
On June 10, Azerbaijani President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev will leave for Turkey on a working visit.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Moscow on April 22 to hold talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.
Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive.
Partner news
---