Guatemala's anti-corruption judiciary said on Friday it had seized the equivalent of $ 16 million in cash hidden in several suitcases, possibly bribes paid to a former official.
Money in quetzales, the Guatemalan currency, dollars and euros was found in 22 suitcases
"stacked"
in a bathroom in an uninhabited house in the resort town of Antigua, 20 km southwest of the capital Guatemala, the head of the office of the special prosecutor against impunity (FECI), Juan Francisco Sandoval, told a press conference.
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Juan Francisco Sandoval explained that the search of this residence, belonging to an undeclared company, had been launched following
"information relating to the existence of a property in which large sums of money were stored".
"According to information from this source, this money could be the product of illicit commissions from an official of a government administration prior to the current one,"
added the prosecutor, who declined to provide further details in order not to interfere with the ongoing investigation.
Cameras were also found on the spot, supposedly monitoring movements in the house.
The FECI, which is attached to the prosecution, is investigating large-scale corruption cases.
She worked hand in hand with the now defunct International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG), created in 2006 by an agreement between the UN and Parliament, which revealed several scandals but whose mandate was not renewed in 2019 by the former Guatemalan president, Jimmy Morales (2006-2020).
One of his main revelations was the customs fraud that led to the resignation in 2015 of then-President Otto Pérez (2012-2015), accused of leading a network that collected bribes from businessmen in order to evade the tax authorities.
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