Former Guatemalan President extradited to the US to face money laundering charges
Alfonso Portillo
Former Guatemalan president Alfonso Portillo was flown out of the country en route to the United States today, less than a week after his predecessor, dictator Efrain Rios Montt’s conviction for genocide was thrown out. Portillo’s extradition is a result of charges he laundered seventy million dollars from U.S. banks during his term in office. Despite being acquitted of charges of pilfering in his home country, the Guatemalan Supreme Court would later authorize his extradition. The U.S. embassy, in a statement issued earlier, says, quote, this decision is an important affirmation of the rule of law and due process in Guatemala, unquote. Sixty-one year old Portillo was transported from a military hospital where he was undergoing treatment for liver problems. He took office in 2000 vowing to redistribute wealth in the poverty-stricken country. Instead Portillo fled to neighboring Mexico upon completion of his term as president in 2004.
Oh boy oh boy….when will this start to happen to our politicians 🙂 I hope they know that someday, one way or the other, their day will come
He did redistribute the wealth as he promised, only to himself. I’m glad the US is available to handle cases that can;t be handled in their own countries. Maybe one day we will see some of our leaders facing justice up north, in similar circumstances.
Go Guatemala!
Purge the government corruption at the top!!!
Hmmm… Something’s fishy….. Seems there’s something straining the relationship b/w America and Guatemala.
Hmmmmm, The Guats are trying to be slick…kissing up to the US in order to get their support on the Belize/Guatemala conflict..paving a path.. there will be collateral damage.