Alfonso Portillo - Recent Events

Recent Events

When his political immunity was revoked on 19 February 2004, Portillo immediately fled to Mexico. On 16 August 2004, immigration authorities there granted him a year-long work visa. He then lived in Mexico City in an apartment in one of the city's most exclusive neighbourhoods. Portillo was accused of authorizing $15 million in transfers to the Guatemalan defense department, where authorities believe most of the money was stolen by his associates. After a long process, Mexico's foreign ministry approved Portillo's extradition back to Guatemala on 30 October 2006. His actual extradition did not occur until October 7, 2008.

According to reports in May 2007, Portillo sued Guatemala in the Central American Court of Justice, in Nicaragua, to be reinstated as a member of the Central American Parliament (and thus regain his immunity from prosecution).

In January 2010 reports stated that the U.S. government were looking for Portillo in relation to money laundering charges.

On 26 January 2010, Portillo was apprehended by local authorities in Guatemala near Punta de Palma. His capture was made possible through information gathered by CICIG and a New York County District Attorney, Cyrus Vance, Jr.

Portillo and his associates were absolved of all embezzlement charges on May 9, 2011 by a Guatemalan court that determined that prosecutors, Guatemala's Public Ministry, did not present sufficient evidence to convict the former president. The Public Ministry said they disagree with the court's decision and announced plans to appeal the ruling.

On Friday, August 26, 2011, the Constitutional Court ruled that he must be extradited to the United States. He will be the first former Guatemalan President to stand prosecution in the United States.

He is currently imprisoned in the Matamoros military base.