+ A
A -
Reuters
Guatemala City
Former Guatemalan presidential candidate Manuel Baldizon was detained while trying to enter the United States without a visa and is awaiting deportation, the Central American nation's prosecutor's office said on Sunday, adding he would face graft charges upon his return.
Baldizon, a wealthy businessman who ran for president twice, was detained at the airport in Miami on Saturday after flying in from the Dominican Republic, according to prosecutor's office spokeswoman Yesenia Enriquez. His deportation is expected to be swift.
On his return to Guatemala, Baldizon will face accusations of illicit association, bribery and money laundering, the prosecutor's office said in a statement. The charges are part of a giant corruption scandal that involves Brazilian construction company Odebrecht SA and has claimed high-level political scalps across the region.
The statement said former Infrastructure Minister and brief presidential candidate Alejandro Sinibaldi was also wanted on suspected corruption charges related to the investigation, and was now a fugitive.
