Guatemalan prosecutors order arrest of Bernardo Arévalo government official

Guatemala’s Attorney General’s Office on Tuesday ordered the arrest of a former lawmaker and trusted official of Guatemalan President Bernardo Arévalo, who is being investigated in a case against the ruling party that seeks to revoke the president’s immunity.

Former congresswoman Ligia Hernández confirmed in a video that she posted on her official account on the social network X, formerly Twitter, the measure against her. The police executed the order and took her to the Court Tower so that the judge of the case can inform her of the reason for her arrest, she said.

“Today, a new injustice has been committed by the Public Prosecutor’s Office. They have issued an arrest warrant against me and, as much as they want to criminalize me, I am not afraid of them,” said Hernández, who was a deputy for the Movimiento Semilla party and is currently the director of the Institute for the Victim.

The Guatemalan government has not yet commented on the measure.

The Prosecutor’s Office is investigating Semilla for allegedly having forged signatures for the formation of the party. The judge in charge of the case, Fredy Orellana, has authorized all the proceedings in the case and refused to allow the defense of the party members to have access to the investigation for months.

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