Guatemalan Ex
President Whereabouts Unknown
GUATEMALA - The whereabouts of Guatemalan
former President Alfonso Portillo remains a
mystery after several raids to serve a
warrant against him.
Police and Army combined forces, the Public
Ministry and the International Commission
against Impunity in Guatemala conducted on
Sunday an operation in this capital and four
in the western region of Zacapa, all
unsuccessful.
There is a US request for extradition for
Portillo because of suspicions of laundering
money stolen from the Guatemalan state in
that countryâ�Ös banks.
So an arrest warrant was issued by a court
because he is free on bail, paid after being
extradited from Mexico in 2008 and the
judicial process against him is being held
by several legal remedies defense.
Media reports say security forces held on
Sunday searches in houses belonging to the
defendant and others where he could be
located, but none was positive.
Without specifying where or when,
authoritiesâ�Ö sources claimed the search
for the former ruler continues to whom
prosecutors opposed, when bail was set,
taking into account the possibility of
trying to leave or hide in it.
The former president fled after finishing
his term of office (2000-2004) to evade
justice, which was accusing him of various
crimes related to misappropriation of money
from national exchequer, especially a large
sum from the Ministry of Defense.
Afterwards it came to light other events and
a few days ago US federal authorities
requested the extradition, since apparently
through that country's banks he washed money
then sent it to other entities mainly in
Europe.
They note suspicious transactions were
conducted from 2001 to 2004 and funds were
diverted to bank accounts of relatives of
the former president, so it is investigated
the involvement of other officials of his
administration.
As part of the process opened by the US
justice system, among the first actions are
mentioned the freezing of accounts and
certain assets identified to the family of
the former president in U.S.
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