U.S. slaps sanctions on Guatemalan officials in corruption crackdown
April 26, 2021
2:03 PM CDT
Americas
Reuters
2 minutes read
The United States on Monday imposed sanctions on a member of Guatemala’s Congress and a former presidential chief of staff in the country over alleged corruption, as Washington presses a number of Central American governments to crack down on graft.
The move was announced hours before U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris was due to meet with Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei to discuss an increase in Central American migration that has led to a crisis at the U.S.-Mexico border.
In a statement, the U.S. Treasury Department said it had blacklisted Felipe Alejos Lorenzana, an elected delegate in Guatemala's Congress, and Gustavo Adolfo Alejos Cambara, who was chief of staff under former President Alvaro Colom.
"These sanctions support efforts by the people of Guatemala to end the scourge of corruption, as part of the U.S. government’s commitment to support improvements in governance in Guatemala," U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in a separate statement.
More:
https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/us-slaps-sanctions-guatemalan-officials-corruption-crackdown-2021-04-26/
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