HomeNewsBriefEx-Guatemala President Portillo Extradited to US
BRIEF

Ex-Guatemala President Portillo Extradited to US

GUATEMALA / 27 MAY 2013 BY JAMES BARGENT EN

Former President of Guatemala, Alfonso Portillo, has been extradited to the United States to face charges of embezzlement and money laundering, a rare result against impunity in this battered Central American nation.

The ex-president was flown to New York on May 24, nine months after Guatemala's Constitutional Court ruled unanimously in favor of extradition.

Portillo stands accused of laundering $70 million of public money through US banks as president between 2000 and 2004, reported Reuters. According to the US indictment, Portillo set up fictitious foundations to divert funds, including from foreign governments, and stole millions from his own ministries.

Portillo was first accused of corruption in Guatemala but fled to Mexico shortly before the charges were filed. He was then extradited to Guatemala, but released while evidence was being collected.

Police arrested Portillo in 2010 as he was preparing to flee a second time and he stood trial on charges of misappropriating $15 million of public funds.

However, in 2011 he was controversially acquitted by a panel of judges that disallowed evidence and dismissed witnesses as "unreliable." The former president is now facing up to 20 years in prison if convicted.

InSight Crime Analysis

The strength of the evidence against Portillo, which includes checks signed by him and his underlings, and money diverted through accounts in his family's name, suggests he is unlikely to stage another great escape this time round.

The fact that Portillo has not been able to avoid extradition is a positive sign for ending impunity in Guatemala. However his previous acquittal and the fact that extradition was necessary remain black marks against the Guatemalan judicial system.

The decision closely follows another case that highlights both the progress made in the Guatemalan judicial system and the lingering issues around impunity -- the landmark conviction of former military dictator and one time Portillo ally Rios Montt on human rights charges, followed by the overturning of that decision on technicalities.

share icon icon icon

Was this content helpful?

We want to sustain Latin America’s largest organized crime database, but in order to do so, we need resources.

DONATE

What are your thoughts? Click here to send InSight Crime your comments.

We encourage readers to copy and distribute our work for non-commercial purposes, with attribution to InSight Crime in the byline and links to the original at both the top and bottom of the article. Check the Creative Commons website for more details of how to share our work, and please send us an email if you use an article.

Tags

Was this content helpful?

We want to sustain Latin America’s largest organized crime database, but in order to do so, we need resources.

DONATE

Related Content

ELITES AND CRIME / 25 JUL 2021

The dismissal of Juan Francisco Sandoval, Guatemala's leading anti-corruption prosecutor who has since fled the country, has drawn condemnation at…

EL SALVADOR / 30 DEC 2021

The United States, under the Biden administration, was supposed to help curb corruption, but for corrupt officials in Central America,…

CRIMINAL MIGRATION / 12 OCT 2022

US and Guatemalan authorities will tell you Moises Humberto Rivera Luna, alias "Viejo Santos," is a top member of the…

About InSight Crime

THE ORGANIZATION

Venezuela Coverage Continues to be Highlighted

3 MAR 2023

This week, InSight Crime co-director Jeremy McDermott was the featured guest on the Americas Quarterly podcast, where he provided an expert overview of the changing dynamics…

THE ORGANIZATION

Venezuela's Organized Crime Top 10 Attracts Attention

24 FEB 2023

Last week, InSight Crime published its ranking of Venezuela’s ten organized crime groups to accompany the launch of the Venezuela Organized Crime Observatory. Read…

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime on El País Podcast

10 FEB 2023

This week, InSight Crime co-founder, Jeremy McDermott, was among experts featured in an El País podcast on the progress of Colombia’s nascent peace process.

THE ORGANIZATION

InSight Crime Interviewed by Associated Press

3 FEB 2023

This week, InSight Crime’s Co-director Jeremy McDermott was interviewed by the Associated Press on developments in Haiti as the country continues its prolonged collapse. McDermott’s words were republished around the world,…

THE ORGANIZATION

Escaping Barrio 18

27 JAN 2023

Last week, InSight Crime published an investigation charting the story of Desafío, a 28-year-old Barrio 18 gang member who is desperate to escape gang life. But there’s one problem: he’s…