{"id":523309,"date":"2022-12-08T12:29:40","date_gmt":"2022-12-08T09:29:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/former-guatemalan-president-otto-perez-and-vp-sentenced-in-graft-case\/"},"modified":"2022-12-08T12:29:40","modified_gmt":"2022-12-08T09:29:40","slug":"former-guatemalan-president-otto-perez-and-vp-sentenced-in-graft-case","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/former-guatemalan-president-otto-perez-and-vp-sentenced-in-graft-case\/","title":{"rendered":"#Former Guatemalan President Otto Perez and VP sentenced in graft case"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_84 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a2d2205c0605\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a2d2205c0605\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-1'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/former-guatemalan-president-otto-perez-and-vp-sentenced-in-graft-case\/#%E2%80%9CFormer_Guatemalan_President_Otto_Perez_and_VP_sentenced_in_graft_case%E2%80%9D\" >&#8220;Former Guatemalan President Otto Perez and VP sentenced in graft case&#8221;<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h1><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"%E2%80%9CFormer_Guatemalan_President_Otto_Perez_and_VP_sentenced_in_graft_case%E2%80%9D\"><\/span>&#8220;Former Guatemalan President Otto Perez and VP sentenced in graft case&#8221;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h1>\n<div>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module alignleft\">\n        <\/aside>\n<p>A Guatemalan court on Wednesday sentenced both former President Otto Perez and his vice president, Roxana Baldetti, to 16 years in prison each in a graft case years after explosive corruption revelations forced the two out of office early and into prison.<\/p>\n<p>The pair were found guilty of illicit association and customs fraud, but were acquitted on a charge of illicit enrichment.<\/p>\n<p>Perez, who was president of Guatemala from 2012 to 2015, has spent the last seven years in prison awaiting a verdict in the case. Baldetti was sentenced to more than 15 years in prison in 2018 in a separate fraud case.<\/p>\n<p>Perez, a 72-year-old retired <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/general\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"3\" title=\"General\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">general<\/a> who took office promising to crack down on crime, was forced to resign with just four months left in his term amid protests over corruption scandals.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAll that\u2019s left is to <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>eal,\u201d Perez told reporters during a break in the trial, adding he felt \u201ccheated\u201d because the conviction was made \u201cwithout a shred of proof.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/12\/2022-12-07T231013Z_1332471649_RC241Y9OWYTH_RTRMADP_3_GUATEMALA-POLITICS.jpg?w=1024\" alt=\"Former VP Roxana Baldetti during her sentencing hearing on Wed. Dec. 7, 2022.\" class=\"wp-image-24938425\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/12\/2022-12-07T231013Z_1332471649_RC241Y9OWYTH_RTRMADP_3_GUATEMALA-POLITICS.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=2048 2048w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/12\/2022-12-07T231013Z_1332471649_RC241Y9OWYTH_RTRMADP_3_GUATEMALA-POLITICS.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1536 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/12\/2022-12-07T231013Z_1332471649_RC241Y9OWYTH_RTRMADP_3_GUATEMALA-POLITICS.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/12\/2022-12-07T231013Z_1332471649_RC241Y9OWYTH_RTRMADP_3_GUATEMALA-POLITICS.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>Former VP Roxana Baldetti during her sentencing hearing on Wed. Dec. 7, 2022.<\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">REUTERS<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Perez and Baldetti were accused of leading a customs fraud network that stole some $3.5 million in state funds during their administration, with both Perez and Baldetti accused by investigators of receiving hefty cuts.<\/p>\n<p>Investigators had charged that the two led a scheme in which importers paid bribes to avoid paying customs duties. More than two dozen others have been charged in the case.<\/p>\n<p>Perez was ordered to pay $1.10 million while Baldetti was fined $1.06 million on Wednesday.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"683\" src=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/12\/2022-12-08T030948Z_1680639267_RC2C1Y9L81HQ_RTRMADP_3_GUATEMALA-POLITICS.jpg?w=1024\" alt=\"Perez Molina walks in front of the judges after his sentencing. \" class=\"wp-image-24938398\" srcset=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/12\/2022-12-08T030948Z_1680639267_RC2C1Y9L81HQ_RTRMADP_3_GUATEMALA-POLITICS.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=2048 2048w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/12\/2022-12-08T030948Z_1680639267_RC2C1Y9L81HQ_RTRMADP_3_GUATEMALA-POLITICS.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=1536 1536w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/12\/2022-12-08T030948Z_1680639267_RC2C1Y9L81HQ_RTRMADP_3_GUATEMALA-POLITICS.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all 1024w, https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/12\/2022-12-08T030948Z_1680639267_RC2C1Y9L81HQ_RTRMADP_3_GUATEMALA-POLITICS.jpg?quality=75&amp;strip=all&amp;w=512 512w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\"\/><figcaption>Perez Molina walks in front of the judges after his sentencing. <\/figcaption><figcaption><span class=\"credit\">REUTERS<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The case, known as \u201cLa Linea,\u201d was originally investigated under the now-defunct International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG), backed by the United Nations.<\/p>\n<p>Guatemala expelled the head of the CICIG, Colombian Ivan Velasquez, in 2018 after his repeated attempts to investigate then-President Jimmy Morales and after jailing dozens of politicians and businessmen.<\/p>\n<p>The next year, Morales let the mandate authorizing the CICIG\u2019s operations expire, shuttering the commission. In 2021, Guatemalan investigators began to target judges, prosecutors and journalists for having collaborated with the CICIG, forcing many into exile.<\/p>\n<p>Since then, several of those implicated in corruption cases investigated by the CICIG have been freed and the CICIG\u2019s findings have been annulled. Velasquez this year became Colombia\u2019s minister of defense.\n                        <\/p><\/div>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News<\/a> articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/news\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2022\/12\/08\/former-guatemalan-president-otto-perez-and-vp-sentenced-in-graft-case\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;Former Guatemalan President Otto Perez and VP sentenced in graft case&#8221; A Guatemalan court on Wednesday sentenced both former President Otto Perez and his vice president, Roxana Baldetti, to 16 years in prison each in a graft case years after explosive corruption revelations forced the two out of office early and into prison. The pair&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":523310,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/nypost.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/12\/newspress-collage-24938363-1670490556221.jpg?quality=75&strip=all&1670472659&w=1024","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[70897],"tags":[136931,70673,5844,71126],"class_list":["post-523309","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-12-8-22","tag-corruption","tag-guatemala","tag-politicians"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/523309","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=523309"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/523309\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/523310"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=523309"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=523309"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=523309"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}