By Sandra Cuffe
RIVAS, Nicaragua
Only hours after Otto Pérez Molina’s resignation was formalized by Congress, a judge ordered the former president to spend the night in detention Thursday to ensure he attends a hearing on corruption allegations.
Pérez Molina presented his resignation letter Wednesday night, after a warrant was issued for his arrest. He voluntarily appeared in court Thursday for a hearing into accusations of bribery and fraud.
Prosecutors argue that Pérez Molina was at the top level in the hierarchy of a criminal network that defrauded the state of an estimated $120 million in customs revenue. At the hearing, they presented wiretap evidence, even recordings containing Pérez Molina’s own voice, to sustain their explanation of the network’s structure and the former president’s involvement.
Hearing will resume Friday morning.
The judge presiding over the proceedings determined that the ex-president was a flight risk and decided to remand Pérez Molina into custody overnight.
Pérez Molina said he respects the judge, but disagrees with the remand order. He has been clear about his plan to cooperate with any investigation or legal proceedings, he said.
“I could have left,” he told reporters immediately following the hearing, before police escorted him from the courtroom. “I don’t have even the slightest intention of leaving the country, much less of fleeing,” he said.
Earlier Thursday, as the hearing was just getting underway, legislators convened for a special session to respond to Pérez Molina’s resignation letter. The resignation was accepted by unanimous vote, at which point Pérez Molina was formally no longer president.
Vice President Alejandro Maldonado Aguirre was sworn in as president Thursday afternoon. His term will end Jan. 14, 2016.
Maldonado Aguirre was a Constitutional Court judge until he was tapped for vice president in May after Roxanna Baldetti stepped down, also because of corruption allegations. Baldetti and other high level officials are in pretrial detention for their alleged roles in the customs fraud scandal.
After being sworn in, Maldonado Aguirre announced the names of the three nominees he will present to Congress as vice presidential candidates: former Supreme Court judge Gabriel Medrano, economist Raquel Zelaya, and former public university rector Alfonso Fuentes.
National and international organizations expressed support for Pérez Molina’s resignation, Maldonado Aguirre becoming president, and the unfolding situation in general.
The United Nations System in Guatemala “considers that the political crisis that has been unfolding in recent months that resulted in the president’s resignation over accusations of corruption should be seen as an opportunity for serious, profound changes in order to advance the agenda of political and legislative reforms the citizenry demands”, the international body wrote in a statement Thursday.
In Washington, the State Department welcomed Pérez Molina’s resignation and said it was prepared to partner with the country’s new leader. “We stand ready to work with the vice president in his new capacity,” said spokesman Mark Toner, who also voiced support for Guatemala’s democratic process and upcoming elections.
The country’s general elections are scheduled for Sunday.
