The United States imposes sanctions on the former president of Guatemala on charges of “grand corruption”

On Wednesday, the United States imposed sanctions on former Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei and his children because they were accused of violating the law. “Great corruption” He accuses them of accepting bribes while holding public office days after leaving the presidency.

Giamatti was defeated in August by anti-corruption activist Bernardo Arevalo when he was seeking re-election as president. Arevalo was sworn in as president in the early hours of last Monday, after a chaotic inauguration ceremony that was delayed for hours due to a last-ditch effort by his opponents in Congress to weaken his authority.

The Democratic administration of Joe Biden said, in a statement issued by the State Department, that they are preventing them from entering the United States because they have “credible information indicating that GiamattiAccepting bribes in exchange for performing his public duties During his term as President of Guatemala, actions that undermined the rule of law and government transparency.

Hence they declare that Gianmatti and his children Anna Marcella, Alejandro Eduardo and Stefano are “Ineligible to enter the United States.”

Hours before the announcement of the punishment imposed on Giamatti, it was imposed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs “Financial penalties” To former Minister of Energy and Mines Alberto Pimentel on charges of “corruption.”

The United States has already imposed sanctions on several former presidents and leaders, such as Paraguay Horacio Cartes And his deputy Hugo Velasquez and Ecuadorian CJaime Bucaram. This punishment was also requested in a letter sent by several members of the US Congress to the Biden government to punish former President and Vice President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner for her conviction in the road case. In the case of the Argentine official, the United States did not move forward.

In the statement on Guatemala, the Biden administration noted, “The United States has made clear that it supports Guatemalans who seek to hold corrupt actors accountable. Over the past three years, we have taken steps to impose visa restrictions or sanctions on nearly 400 people, including government officials, private sector representatives and their family members, for engaging in corrupt activities or undermining democracy or the rule of law in Guatemala.

He concludes: “Corruption weakens the rule of law and democratic institutions, allows impunity, fuels illegal immigration, hinders economic prosperity, and limits the ability of governments to respond effectively to the needs of their people.”

“The United States remains committed to strengthening transparency and governance in Guatemala and throughout the Western Hemisphere, and we will continue to use all available tools to promote accountability for those who undermine it,” they noted.

One of the most important accusations against Giamatti appeared in 2021, when an investigation was opened against him for allegedly receiving bribes from Russian miners to allow the construction of a port on the Caribbean coast of Guatemala.