Guatemala: Ex-President Serrano Ordered Arrested

Via NY Transfer News * All the News That Doesn't Fit

Reuters via Yahoo - June 4, 2002

Judge Orders Arrest of Ex-President 

By Sonia Perez 

GUATEMALA CITY (Reuters) - A Guatemalan judge ordered former
President Jorge Serrano arrested on Tuesday on 15 charges, including
embezzling state funds, fraud, and appropriating lands that belonged
to the state.

Serrano, who was thrown out of office in 1993 after he tried to seize
dictatorial powers, said from exile in Panama that prosecutors had no
case.

Guatemala has tried unsuccessfully three times to have Serrano
extradited from Panama. But this is the first time the country has
issued a warrant for his arrest.

Serrano took office in 1991, the second democratically elected
president after years of military dictatorships.

His administration was supposed to mark the beginning of the end of a
long and bloody civil war. But he was ousted after he dissolved
Congress and the Supreme Court in May 1993 and tried to take complete
control of government.

"This is an open and shut case. There is no proof of the charges they
are making. Even the Guatemalan foreign ministry has said the proof
they have does not amount to proof of crimes. This is political
persecution," Serrano told Reuters by phone.

"This whole process of extradition is absurd. It has been nine years
since I left Guatemala. I don't understand it. I don't understand
what motivations there are for this. It amounts to a publicity stunt
for the Guatemalan judge in question. You don't throw stones at a
dead dog, after all."

Judge Leticia Lam told Reuters it was up to police to process the
arrest warrant. State prosecutor Mario Leal said Interpol would issue
it internationally.

(additional reporting by Robin Emmott in Panama City)

 
=================================================================
  NY Transfer News Collective   *   A Service of Blythe Systems 
           Since 1985 - Information for the Rest of Us          
              339 Lafayette St., New York, NY 10012             
  http://www.blythe.org                  e-mail: nyt@blythe.org 
=================================================================
 
nytcamer-06.06.02-13:15:25-11208