Guatemala former VP stays in jail

Judge Miguel Angel Galvez said on Wednesday it was prudent to deny bail to former Vice President Roxana Baldetti.

Baldetti is to spend the next three months in the Santa Teresa prison, an ordinary jail on the outskirts of the capital. An investigation is to be carried out to decide if she has a case to answer regarding involvement in a customs bribery scheme called "La Linea" ("The Line.") Her next hearing will be on December 8.

A special UN investigative commission, the International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG), has accused Baldetti of leading the scheme together with current President Otto Perez.

"We must take into consideration in the present case that... the investigation concerns people who were involved in the Guatemalan state, especially high-level public officials," Galvez said.

The 53-year-old Baldetti was arrested last Friday and taken from a private hospital to a military base in the capital which is also used as a prison for high-profile detainees. She is to be transferred to the Santa Teresa prison.

The judge ruled that Baldetti posed a flight risk because she also holds Italian citizenship. Public prosecutor Jose Morales pointed out that "Guatemala has no extradition treaty with Italy."

Judge Galvez said he also wanted to prevent Baldetti obstructing the case against her.

High level fraud

Baldetti is accused of being "Number 2" in the "La Linea" corruption scheme in which businesses paid bribes to officials to clear imports through customs at a fraction of the actual tax rate.

Prosecutors have accused Baldetti of taking a cut of $3.8 million (3.3 million euros) on illegally reduced customs payments between May 2014 and April 2015.

The corruption scandal has led to street protests as Guatemala prepares to hold elections on September 6 to vote in Perez's successor. Under the constitution, Perez can not stand for more than one term. He has so far refused to resign despite moves to impeach him.

On Monday Perez's finance and communication ministers resigned together with five other top officials. The economy, health, education and agriculture ministers have also recently stepped down.

jm/lw (EFE, AFP)