The brother of Guatemala's former Vice President Roxana Baldetti and 12 others were arrested Tuesday on suspicion of fraud involving contracting an Israeli company to clean up a polluted lake, police said.
TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras – The Organization of American States on Monday established an ambitious new corruption-fighting commission in Honduras aimed at replicating the success of a similar, U.N.-backed body in Guatemala that brought down that country's government.
"The apprehension of the ex-vice president is confirmed," Julia Barrera, spokeswoman for the Public Prosecutor's Office, told reporters Friday morning. The warrant for Roxana Baldetti's arrest includes charges of illicit association, fraud and bribery.
Among those arrested were the current and former heads of Guatemala's tax collection agency, and the president of Guatemalan daily Siglo21. A warrant was issued for the private secretary of Guatemalan Vice President Roxana Baldetti, but he was reportedly outside of the country.
Barack Obama's administration has asked the U.S. Congress to approve $1 billion in funding for Central America to bolster security and stem illegal immigration into the U.S. from its southern neighbors.