Page 12 - ARUBA TODAY

A12 WORLD NEWS
Monday 28 august 2017

Guatemala:

President expels UN anti-corruption chief; court blocks order

Sunday showed Morales in the country. It was key to
declaring Ivan Velasquez bringing down former Presi-
“non grata” and ordering dent Otto Perez Molina,
him to leave the country who was forced to resign in
immediately. He also an- 2015 and remains in prison.
nounced he was firing For- Chief prosecutor Thelma
eign Minister Carlos Raul Aldana, working with
Morales for failure to carry the U.N. commission, an-
out the expulsion. nounced on Friday that she
Morales said nothing of was asking the Supreme
kicking out the entire com- Court to recommend strip-
mission of foreign experts, ping Morales of his immuni-
but the expulsion would ty from prosecution in order
leave its future unclear. to investigate financing of
Two years remain on its his 2015 campaign, when
mandate. he ran on the slogan “Nei-
However, by midday Fran- ther corrupt nor a crook.” If
cisco de Mata Vela, head the court agrees, the deci-
of Guatemala’s Consti- sion on immunity would be
tutional Court, said that it made by Congress.
had issued a temporary The prosecutor said Morales
injunction blocking the or- had refused to account
Constitutional Court President Jose Francisco de Mata Vela leads a press conference in Guate- der to expel Velasquez. for more than $800,000 in
mala City, Sunday, Aug. 27, 2017. The court announced it has blocked Guatemalan President The court will now analyze campaign financing and
Jimmy Morales’ order to expel the head of a U.N. anti-corruption commission, Ivan Velasquez, the case before reaching had hidden his own par-
who had said he would seek the removal of Morales’ immunity so the president could be investi- a definitive decision. It was ty’s accounts. Velasquez
gated for campaign finance violations. not clear how long that said in the joint news con-
(AP Photo/Luis Soto) would take. ference with Aldana that
By SONIA PEREZ D. Sunday he was expelling to have the order blocked Velasquez heads a financing of some cam-
Associated Press the head of a U.N. anti- hours later by the country’s 10-year-old commission of paign expenditures could
GUATEMALA CITY (AP) — corruption commission that top court. experts that has worked not be explained.
Guatemalan President is investigating his cam- A video posted on the gov- with Guatemalan prosecu- Morales has repeatedly
Jimmy Morales announced paign’s financing — only ernment’s Twitter site early tors to root out corruption denied any wrongdoing.q
Venezuela shuts 2 radio stations, holds military exercises

By FABIOLA SANCHEZ ber, said this weekend in of Colombian TV stations ern Caracas where dozens Critics call the assembly’s
Associated Press a statement that the Na- Caracol and RCN. Mad- of snipers practiced their creation a blatant, authori-
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) tional Telecommunications uro had sharply criticized aim.Washington accuses tarian power grab, while
— Authorities have shut Commission did not renew foreign news coverage of Maduro of imposing a dic- Maduro allies argue it offers
down two radio stations the stations’ permits when the country and its months- tatorship after the recent a way out of the country’s
that aired critical coverage they expired and ordered long political crisis. installation of an all-power- political and economic
of President Nicolas Madu- them to cease transmitting. About 900,000 people, in- ful constitutional assembly crisis.“To greater democ-
ro’s government by refus- The National Media Work- cluding soldiers and mem- that has targeted political racy in Venezuela, the em-
ing to renew their licenses, ers’ Union accused the bers of civilian militias, were opponents and taken over pire responds with more
a broadcast executive an- government of taking “ar- expected to take part in lawmaking powers from aggression,” Padrino Lopez
nounced, as the country bitrary” action and violat- the two days of martial drills the opposition-controlled said, promising that the
staged military exercises ing freedom of expression. over the weekend. Defense congress. In remarks earlier armed forces will support
in defiance of Washington The closures came less than Minister Vladimir Padrino this month, President Don- the government in stand-
and new U.S. sanctions. 48 hours after the commis- Lopez inaugurated the ex- ald Trump would not rule ing up to the sanctions an-
Enza Carbone, president of sion ordered cable provid- ercises Saturday at a Na- out a “military option” for nounced the previous day
the country’s Radio Cham- ers to remove the signal tional Guard facility in east- Venezuela. by Washington. q