Guatemala court authorizes ex-president’s extradition to US
The criminal court of Guatemala authorized the extradition of Guatemalan ex-president Alfonso Portillo to the United States. In the US, Portillo will face money laundering charges. The Fifth Sentencing Court’s decision said: “This court finds the US government’s extradition request against Alfonso Portillo, accused of crimes of conspiracy to engage in money laundering, will go ahead”.
The former president has been held at a high security facility in Guatemala that houses some of the most notorious criminals like drug dealers and kidnappers.
Following the US extradition request for charges dating back to his 2000-2004 presidency, Portillo was arrested in January.
Having lost immunity from prosecution for alleged corruption during his administration, Portillo fled to Mexico in 2005. In October 2008, he was extradited from Mexico to Guatemala. Guatemala has accused the ex-president of authorizing USD 15 million in transfers to Guatemala’s Defense Department, where some officials allegedly took part of the money.