Guatemala's parliament voted to sack President Otto Pérez Molina Thursday, forcing his resignation and immediate arrest for his suspected participation in an extensive corruption ring.
Like an ordinary felon, he will have to "answer to justice," the daily Publinews wrote on its front page. Publinews Guatemala and other Guatemalan dailies also showed the former president surrounded by police and questioned before being sent to a military prison in the capital Guatemala City.
The detainee told media outlets that he had no intention of fleeing, and his arrest was said to be for his security, not to prevent his flight. Pérez, a retired general who took office in 2012 with promises of stamping on the country's rampant crime, is accused of helping run a criminal web dubbed La Linea, which allegedly stole millions of dollars in customs dues that were meant to go to the federal treasury.
Dozens of officials were are believed to be involved, including former Vice President Roxana Baldetti, who was jailed in May. Vice President Alejandro Maldonado Aguirre has become interim president, and the country is scheduled to hold new elections Sept. 6.
