GUATEMALA CITY, (Reuters) – A Guatemalan court dismissed charges against former President Alfonso Portillo of embezzling public funds, ordering his immediate release on Monday but requiring him to stay in the country.
The court ruled prosecutors did not present sufficient evidence to prove Portillo, 59, stole $15 million from the military in 2001 and hid it in offshore accounts.
Portillo, who took office promising to redistribute wealth in a Central American country plagued by poverty, must remain in Guatemala and await the appeals process before its courts rule on an extradition request by the United States.
He maintained his innocence throughout the trial.
