Former Guatemalan President Arrested
January 29, 2010
By: Benjamin Russell

Alfonso Portillo, president of Guatemala from 2000-2004, was arrested in the Guatemalan port town of Punta de Palma, Tuesday, on an US extradition warrant for allegedly embezzling Taiwanese donation funds intended for the purchase of children’s books. Guatemalan police, who had been following Portillo for four days prior to his arrest, suspected the ex-president was attempting to cross the border into Belize. 

The former president allegedly embezzled $1.5 million in donations by transferring funds from a Miami bank to a Paris account in the name of his ex-wife and daughter.  The US Embassy was pleased with his arrest, saying in a statement that “the precedent this sets — that nobody is above the law — is extremely important for the rule of law.”

Portillo was extradited from Mexico to Guatemala in 2008 to face a different set of embezzlement charges; he is currently out on bail while that trial proceeds.  It is unclear when he will be extradited to the US, as Guatemalan law mandates that his domestic trial be concluded before any extradition can occur.   

Sources:

Yahoo! News - Guatemalan Police Arrest Ex-President Wanted in US

New York Times – Guatemala: Ex-President Arrested on US Warrant

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