Guatemala ex-prosecutor detained in fatal hit-and-run case

Guatemala ex-prosecutor detained in fatal hit-and-run case | iNFOnews.ca
In this March 22, 2013, former human rights prosecutor Orlando Lopez, left, listens to a witness during the trial of former dictator Efrain Rios Montt, in Guatemala City. Guatemalan authorities have detained Lopez in fatal hit-and-run accident that happened in July according to the Prosecutors' spokeswoman Julia Barrera. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)

GUATEMALA CITY – Guatemalan authorities have detained a prominent former human rights prosecutor in a fatal hit-and-run accident.

Prosecutors’ spokeswoman Julia Barrera says the accident happened in July in the department of Zacapa, east of the capital.

Former prosecutor Orlando Lopez allegedly was behind the wheel of a vehicle that ran over a person and left without helping the victim, who later died.

Prosecutors contend that Lopez had the car repaired in an effort to hide the evidence. Three members of his security team were also detained.

Lopez told journalists he would not comment until he learned more why he was detained Thursday.

The ex-prosecutor brought multiple human rights cases including one accusing ex-dictator Efrain Rios Montt of responsibility for the killings of 1,771 Ixil indigenous people during Guatemala’s 1960-1996 civil war.

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