Otto Perez, the former president of Guatemala, was found guilty on Wednesday and given a 16-year prison term after being found responsible for a significant customs fraud operation while in office.
Judge Irma Valdes read out the sentence for Perez, who was forced to quit in 2015 and was found guilty of racketeering and fraud against the customs system.
On each count, Perez received an eight-year sentence.
Roxana Baldetti, his former vice president, was given the same punishment.
A Guatemalan anti-corruption organisation with support from the UN exposed a number of scandals before Jimmy Morales, the country’s former president, shut it down in 2019 after it started looking into him.
One of its key successes was uncovering a multimillion-dollar scheme to cheat Guatemala’s customs duty system, which ultimately led to Perez’s resignation.
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Those involved in the scheme – known as “La Linea” (The Line) – received bribes of some $3.5 million, according to investigators, who estimate that Guatemala was defrauded out of almost $10 million in tax revenue.
After the sentence was handed down Perez, 72, told reporters, “I truly feel frustrated, I feel disappointed.”
He said he would appeal the ruling.
Sixteen other people involved in the scam were convicted during the sentencing and 11 others were acquitted.
“The ‘La Linea’ case is one of the most symbolic and is a milestone in Guatemalan history,” director of Transparency International’s local chapter, Citizen Action, Edie Cux, told AFP.
“It is important that in some way the people of Guatemala have justice and that the case does not go unpunished,” she added.
AFP
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