Guatemala pol wants probe of UN anti-corruption commission

GUATEMALA CITY – The head of a congressional commission in Guatemala says prosecutors should open a criminal investigation into the now-disappeared U.N. anti-corruption commission known as the CICG.

President Jimmy Morales forced the commission out of Guatemala, and his supporters have accused it of using strong-arm tactics in corruption probes that included Morales’ relatives.

Rep. Juan Ramón Lau heads a congressional commission that heard testimony from people caught up in corruption probes about the alleged abuses.

Lau’s commission sent a report to prosecutors Friday recommending they open criminal investigations into former CICIG employees, as well as Guatemalan anti-corruption agents.

The CICIG won praise for bringing corruption cases against hundreds of the country’s powerful and privileged, including two ex-presidents and then-sitting President Otto Pérez Molina, who remains behind bars.

It is unlikely prosecutors can act before President-elect Alejandro Giammattei takes office on Jan. 14.