GUATEMALA CITY, (Reuters) – Enough documentary evidence exists to prove former Guatemalan President Otto Perez’s involvement in a corruption scandal, the head of a powerful U.N.-backed anti-graft body which helped topple the leader and will scrutinize his wealth said.
“We’re going to investigate everything,” Ivan Velasquez, head of U.N.-backed International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG), said late Thursday. “The next step is to examine Mr. Perez’s wealth.” He said the body had “sufficient documentation” to prove Perez’ involvement, and would analyze the fallen president’s “financial information, accounts, real estate, and the eventual presence of frontmen.”
Velasquez said he would seek a three-month window from the judge overseeing the case to continue to investigate other fronts against Perez.
Beyond wiretaps, evidence against Perez includes documents among thousands seized during raids, as well as proof of a meeting between Perez and other alleged members of La Linea at a property belonging to his political party.
So far, the investigation has found that a dozen small and medium-sized importers of goods mostly coming from Asia have been implicated in the scam.
