International News: Former Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei barred from entering US

By Zoila Palma Gonzalez: On Wednesday, the U.S. State Department said that Former Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei has been barred from entering the U.S. over allegations of “his involvement in significant corruption.”

“The State Department has credible information indicating that Giammattei accepted bribes in exchange for the performance of his public functions during his tenure as president of Guatemala, actions that undermined the rule of law and government transparency,” State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller indicated.

Giammattei left office on Monday as Guatemala’s newly elected President Bernardo Arevalo took office after facing numerous challenges in what he referred to as an “attempted coup” by prosecutors to invalidate him.

The former President had publicly committed for an orderly transition, Reuters report.

“The government of President Arevalo is respectful of U.S. government decisions and the criteria it considers for the ineligibility of Guatemalan citizens,” a government spokesperson said. 

The Presidential inauguration was scheduled for January 14 but President Arevalo was sworn in early Monday morning after a chaotic inauguration that was delayed for hours by a last-ditch attempt by opposition in Congress aiming to weaken his authority.

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