The United States sanctioned former Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei and his sons on Wednesday “significant corruption” and accuses them of accepting bribes during their days in public office after leaving the presidency.
Giammattei was defeated in August by anti-corruption activist Bernardo Arévalo when he was seeking presidential re-election. Arévalo was sworn in as president in the early hours of Monday, after a chaotic inauguration delayed for hours due to a desperate attempt by congressional opponents to undermine his authority.
In a statement released by the State Department, the Democratic administration of Joe Biden said it will ban them from entering the United States because they have “credible information indicating that Giammatteihe accepted bribes in exchange for fulfilling his public duties during his term as president of Guatemala, actions that undermined the rule of law and government transparency.”
They therefore declare Gianmattei and his children Ana Marcela, Alejandro Eduardo and Stefano as “ineligible to enter the United States.”
Hours before the sanction against Giammattei was made public, the State Department imposed it “financial sanctions” to the former Minister of Energy and Mines Alberto Pimentel for “corruption”.
The United States has already sanctioned several presidents and former leaders like the Paraguayan Horace Cartes and his vice Hugo Velazquez and the Ecuadorian JJaime Bucaram. This punishment was also requested with a letter sent by several US deputies to the Biden government to sanction former President and Vice President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner for the conviction in the Roads case. In the case of the Argentine official, the United States made no progress.
In the statement on Guatemala, the Biden administration notes that “the United States has made clear that it supports Guatemalans who seek to account for corrupt actors. Over the past three years, we have taken steps to impose visa restrictions or sanctions on nearly 400 individuals, including public officials, private sector representatives and their family members, for engaging in corrupt activities or undermining democracy or the rule of law in Guatemala .
And he concludes: “Corruption weakens the rule of law and democratic institutions, enables impunity, fuels irregular migration, hinders economic prosperity and limits the ability of governments to respond effectively to the needs of their populations.
“The United States remains committed to strengthening transparency and governance in Guatemala and throughout the Western Hemisphere, and we will continue to use all available tools to promote accountability for those who undermine it,” they noted.
One of the most significant allegations against Giammattei emerged in 2021, when an investigation was launched against him for allegedly receiving bribes from Russian miners to authorize the construction of a port on Guatemala’s Caribbean coast.
Source: Clarin
Mary Ortiz is a seasoned journalist with a passion for world events. As a writer for News Rebeat, she brings a fresh perspective to the latest global happenings and provides in-depth coverage that offers a deeper understanding of the world around us.