Guatemala seeks ex-minister in relation to cash discovery
Posted October 20, 2020 10:42 am.
Last Updated October 20, 2020 10:54 am.
GUATEMALA CITY — Guatemalan prosecutors are seeking the arrest of the former communications minister for ex-President Jimmy Morales after finding a connection to a house in which authorities found about $16 million in various currencies last week.
The Special Prosecutor Against Impunity has carried out a number of searches for José Luis Benito Ruiz without success.
The money was found during an Oct. 14 search of a house in the colonial city of Antigua. It was inside 22 suitcases. The house was otherwise empty, but had a video surveillance system.
Benito Ruiz is a business man with a number of ventures, including breeding horses. He was one of Morales’ closest advisers.
This is the second time prosecutors have sought Benito Ruiz’s arrest. The first time, a judge denied their request for an arrest warrant in a case of a shoddy highway construction project.
The Associated Press
