They order the arrest of former minister José Luis Benito for alleged money laundering

(CNN) -

The Special Prosecutor's Office Against Impunity (FECI) of Guatemala ordered this Tuesday the arrest of José Luis Benito, who between April 2018 and last January was Minister of Communications, Infrastructure and Housing, in the last half of the presidency of Jimmy Morales.

The head of the FECI, Juan Francisco Sandoval, confirmed to CNN that four raids were carried out in different parts of the country to find the whereabouts of the former official, as the Prosecutor's Office accuses him of having committed the crime of laundering money or other assets.

However, the authorities did not find him and have declared him a fugitive from justice.

• In Guatemala, they arrest new suspects involved in a corruption scheme known as "La Línea"

The Public Ministry released a statement on Tuesday in which it detailed that “the property in which it was located hidden, in cash, an amount greater than 122 million quetzals (US $ 15 million) was in the possession of the former Minister of Communications, Infrastructure and José Luis Benito Ruiz Housing ».

Benito Ruiz left office nine months ago.

CNN has tried through various means to obtain comments from Benito and other former officials of the Jimmy Morales government.

So far no response has been obtained.

• Brother of the president of Guatemala to go to trial for money laundering

The Prosecutor's Office had reported on Friday that in the search of a house located in Antigua Guatemala, one hour from the capital, 22 suitcases containing cash of different currencies were found, quantifying a total of 84.7 million quetzals (US $ 10.9 million);

US $ 4.7 million;

and 95,950 euros (US $ 112,400).

The total money seized was about $ 15 million.

Authorities say this has been the largest seizure of allegedly illegally sourced cash in Guatemala's history.

Jose Luis Benito