WASHINGTON (Reuters) — Former Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei is barred from entering the U.S. over allegations of “his involvement in significant corruption,” the State Department said on Wednesday.
Giammattei was replaced on Monday by anti-corruption crusader Bernardo Arevalo as leader of Central American’s most populous nation.
“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 said in a statement.
Reuters was not able to immediately reach Giammattei for comment.
Arevalo was sworn in as Guatemala’s president in the early hours of Monday after a chaotic inauguration that was delayed for hours by a last-ditch attempt by Congress opponents to weaken his authority.
Guatemala’s President Alejandro Eduardo Giammattei Falla, addresses a ministerial level meeting of the United Nations Security Council on the crisis in Ukraine at U.N. headquarters in New York, September 20, 2023.
