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Guatemala’s government said Monday that it would file a lawsuit against former president Alejandro Giammattei, accusing him of abusing his authority by hiring a civil servant later sanctioned by the United States.
It would be the first criminal complaint filed by the government of President Bernardo Arevalo since he replaced his right-wing predecessor in January.
The lawsuit, which was expected to be filed on Monday, accuses Giammattei of “abuse of authority, influence peddling” and “failure to fulfill duties,” announced Carlos Mendoza, head of state planning agency SEGEPLAN.
Mendoza said that in January 2021, Giammattei approved the hiring of Melvin Quijivix as an advisor to SEGEPLAN, a position that he never held, according to the government.
Two years later, Quijivix was sanctioned by Washington, which accused him of corruption.
Washington also banned Giammattei from entering the United States after he left office due to what it called his “involvement in significant corruption.”
Arevalo, a former lawmaker, diplomat and sociologist, pulled off a major upset when he swept from obscurity to win elections in August 2023, firing up voters weary of rampant graft in one of Latin America’s poorest nations.
Guatemala is ranked among the 30 most corrupt country in the world by the NGO Transparency International.
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Publish date : 2024-11-03 11:00:00
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