Guatemala files arrest warrant with interpol aimed at former attorney general

By Caribbean New Now contributor

GUATEMALA CITY, Guatemala — Guatemalan authorities have issued an arrest warrant for former attorney general Thelma Aldana for allegations of irregular hiring during her tenure. The international arrest warrant was ratified Friday, [June 28] the current attorney general Consuelo Porras confirmed.

"Yes, it seems that it is already (the arrest warrant in Interpol), the case takes administrative matters and any specific detail that you want to know I respectfully ask you to address the prosecutors, all are open doors," said Porras.

Former attorney general Thelma Aldana's presidential candidacy was rejected by Guatemalan constitutional court. [ Photo: EFE]In May, Aldana's attempt to run as a presidential candidate was rejected by the Guatemalan constitutional court. According to Martin Guzman, the court's secretary, Aldana had failed to meet the requirements of being a candidate.

Aldana who is well-known for her anti-corruption platform, said in a statement:

"It has become evident that the fight against corruption and criminal structures in our country has a very high cost," Aldana added, 'I will continue to struggle to transform the country."

We are surprised by the decision," Ligia Hernandez, the party's deputy secretary and candidate for Congress told Al-Jazeera. "But we respect the decision of the court. This is a big hit to the party, but now we will focus on the campaigns for mayors and congressional representatives."

Subsequent to difficulties associated with the transmission of the results by computer systems, two weeks after presidential elections were held in Guatemala, the manual revision of the 105,000 physical records has begun. 

Aldana gained notoriety for support of the International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG), a body created by the United Nations to fight corruption in Guatemala. 

She was pivotal in bringing ex-president Otto Perez and his vice president, Roxana Baldetti to justice.

Now, former attorney general Aldana stands accused of illegal hiring, namely University of San Carlos de Guatemala's current dean of the Legal Faculty, Gustavo Bonilla. Despite never working, Bonilla received over Q236,700 (US$30,700) in supposed payments for labor during 2015. She is also being investigated for allegedly embezzlement, abduction, fraud and tax fraud.

Aldana is believed to be somewhere in the United States. Interpol has been placed on 'red alert' and urged to locate and extradite Aldana as quickly as possible, Judge Victor Cruz from the Tenth Judicial Criminal Court reported.

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