Guatemala president's son, brother arrested over corruption
A son and a brother of Guatemalan president Jimmy Morales were arrested Wednesday on corruption charges over suspected fraud in a state food contract, officials said.
The detentions were a potential embarrassment for Morales, a former TV comedian who became president a year ago on vows to clean up rampant graft in his country.
Sammy Morales, one of the president's three brothers and reportedly the closest to him after co-producing his TV show for 15 years, was arrested as part of an investigation into the $12,000 food contract, attorney general Thelma Aldana told the Guatevision television network.
Shortly afterward, Jose Morales, one of the president's four children, was also in police custody after turning himself in with his lawyer when a warrant was issued to get him out of the protected presidential palace.
Prosecutors suspect wrongdoing in the food contract, which was meant to provide breakfasts for 564 people with public money from a general property registry.
The former head of the registry was arrested in September, and a person linked to the food-supply company was apprehended on Wednesday.
Aldana told a news conference there were allegations that the president's son and brother helped fake invoices in the scheme, though there was no indication they received money for it.
They are charged with fraud and the laundering of money and assets.
"I'm not worried... I haven't committed any crime," Sammy Morales said as he was taken to the Supreme Court building.
President Morales tweeted that "the rule of law will prevail in these matters" before telling reporters that he gave his relatives his "total support."
The attorney general's probe was supported by the International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala.
That UN-backed body was instrumental in bringing forth different corruption revelations that led to the 2015 resignation and arrest of the previous government's president and vice-president, who are both in jail awaiting possible trial.