WASHINGTON_ The government of US President Joe Biden vetoed the former president of Guatemala from entering the country Alejandro Giammattei “due to his involvement in significant corruption,” the State Department reported this Wednesday.
The sanction comes two days after the inauguration of his successor, Bernardo Arevaloin the midst of a judicial offensive waged by Attorney General Consuelo Porras, confirmed in her position by Giammattei.
The United States has information “indicating that Giammattei accepted bribes in exchange for the performance of his public duties (… actions that undermined the rule of law and government transparency), says State Department spokesman Matthew Miller. it’s a statement.
Washington “has made clear that it supports Guatemalans who seek to hold corrupt actors accountable,” he adds.
Giammattei was in Washington last week, where he gave a speech before the OAS in which he criticized the United States, without naming him, for having imposed visa restrictions on more than 100 deputies.
In the last three years, the Biden administration has banned entry or sanctioned nearly 400 people, including officials and representatives of the private sector, whom it accuses of “engaging in corrupt activities or undermining democracy or the rule of law in Guatemala.” Miller recalls.
Giammattei has maintained a tense relationship with Washington, especially in recent times when the Biden administration supported the new progressive president in the face of judicial harassment.
Arévalo and his Semilla party were the target of a judicial persecution led by the Prosecutor’s Office since they went to a runoff in June, which they won in August.
Source: AFP
