Guatemalan Congress
Swindled
A Guatemalan judge
ordered the capture of
Raul Giron, general
manager of MDF (Mercado
de Futuros Ltd.) after
this financial
institution declared
itself unable to give
back $11 million to the
Guatemalan Congress on
Friday.
MDF should deliver the
money coming from the
Guatemalan Parliament's
savings in February, but
the firm did not keep
its promise and
requested a 90-day
extension.
A criminal court ordered
the arrest of the
manager, due to
suspected embezzlement.
The authorities carry
out several raids in MDF
offices and buildings,
but they have not found
Giron, who might
possibly leave the
country.
Aristides Crespo, now
functioning as president
of the Guatemalan
Congress, accused the
Attorney General's
Office of negligence,
because it had not
requested Giron's
capture before, and
considered that
recoverying the money
would be very difficult.
Investigations by the
Attorney General's
Office determined that
MDF does not have
resources in the
national banking system,
only abroad, but they
are not enough to cover
the Parliament's 82,8
million quetzals (about
$11 million).
That amount was
transferred by former
private secretary of the
legislature's presidency
Byron Sanchez, fugitive
from justice.
The embezzlement sparked
off a scandal that led
the Parliament to
dismiss Board of
Directors President
Eduardo Meyer from his
post temporarily.
In recent hours,
different social
organizations demanded
resignation of all the
parliamentarians
involved in the
embezzlement.
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