GUATEMALA CITY -- Guatemala's Congress on Thursday accepted the resignation of President Otto Perez Molina, who submitted it in the middle of a fraud investigation that centers on him.
Vice President Alejandro Maldonado, who only recently took office after his predecessor resigned in the same kickback scandal, was sworn in as the country's new leader.
The 118 members present voted unanimously to accept Perez Molina's resignation; 40 members were absent.
Later, Maldonado reached out to protesters who took to the streets against the country's corruption, promising he would "leave a legacy of honesty" and restore faith in Guatemala's democracy in his brief few months in office.
"You can't consider your work done," Maldonado said in remarks aimed at all those demanding change. "In what is left of this year, there must be a positive response."
Meanwhile, Perez Molina was in court, hearing charges that he was one of the leaders of a customs fraud scheme under investigation.
Spokesman Jorge Ortega said Perez Molina, 64, submitted his resignation at midnight Wednesday local time after a judge issued an order to detain him in the fraud case, which already has led to the jailing of his original vice president and the resignation of several Cabinet ministers who withdrew their support for the president.
The aim of the order was not to formally arrest Perez Molina, but rather to compel him to appear before Judge Miguel Angel Galvez, who granted the request from Attorney General Thelma Aldana.
Aldana told reporters that she will ask Perez Molina be jailed during the court proceedings. He already is prohibited from leaving the country and was stripped of his immunity from prosecution by Congress earlier this week.
Perez Molina, accused of illicit association, fraud and receiving bribe money, maintains his innocence.
Galvez ordered Perez Molina detained overnight before the hearing was to resume this morning. The former president was later seen entering a military barracks where he was to spend the night in custody.
Galvez cited a need to "ensure the continuity of the hearing" and guarantee the former president's safety.
Perez Molina reiterated his willingness to face the investigation.
"I have always said I will respect due process," he said. "I do not have the slightest intention of leaving the country."
His resignation is the first by a Guatemalan president.
Earlier in the day, Perez Molina gave an interview to a radio station, saying he doesn't "trust Guatemalan justice" and criticizing the nation's prosecutors and the United Nations commission that have mounted an investigation in the fiscal fraud case in which he was implicated.
He said the case was built by them to "seek prominence" and "to fill their egos."
Gabriel Wer of the #JusticeNow movement said emotions are mixed in the country.
"On the one hand, we're excited that peaceful protests of citizens have been a key ingredient," he said. "On the other hand, it's disappointing to see the president of your country facing justice as the alleged leader of a criminal network."
The corruption scandal, uncovered by prosecutors and the U.N. commission against impunity, involved a scheme known as "La Linea," or "The Line," in which business leaders paid bribes to avoid import duties through the customs agency. The ring is believed to have defrauded the state of millions of dollars.
Former Vice President Roxana Baldetti's former personal secretary was named as the alleged ringleader. She resigned May 8 because of the same scandal and is now jailed and facing charges. She also maintains her innocence.
A growing protest movement brought together Guatemalans from all walks of life demanding that Perez Molina step down. Business leaders and even Catholic church officials had called for him to resign in recent weeks as the investigation of the customs fraud ring has grown wider and hit more officials.
Ortega told reporters that in the end, Perez Molina submitted his resignation "to maintain the institution of the presidency and resolve on his own the legal proceedings leveled against him."
Maldonado, the new president, will likely remain in office until the winner of an impending election is inaugurated Jan. 14, 2016. The first round of voting is Sunday, pitting a wealthy businessman and politician against 13 other candidates, including a comedian with no political experience, a former first lady and the daughter of an ex-dictator accused of genocide. If none of the candidates reaches 50 percent, a runoff will be held Oct. 25.
A Section on 09/04/2015