Guatemala City, Nov 7 (EFE).- The Guatemalan Prosecutor's Office raided, inspected, and registered a "luxury home" linked to former Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei (2020-2024) on Thursday, as part of an investigation into the alleged construction of a multi-million dollar road to access the property. The property, located in the municipality of Santa María de Jesús in the province of Sacatepéquez, about 43 kilometers west of Guatemala City, has been immobilized by order of a judge since last May and is expected to be handed over to the National Secretariat for the Administration of Extinct Domain Assets (Senabed). The Public Ministry (Prosecutor's Office) reported that the action of the Extinction of Domain Prosecutor's Office is part of an investigation initiated in 2020 into the bidding process for the construction of a road valued at 58.9 million quetzales (approximately 7.5 million dollars). Preliminarily, it has been revealed that the property has luxury amenities such as stables, solar panels, and coffee cultivation areas. In January 2024, the United States sanctioned Giammattei, prohibiting him from entering its territory after accusing him of having "accepted bribes in exchange for the performance of his public functions" during his term. This road, which connects Santa María de Jesús with the southern municipality of Palin, in the department (province) of Escuintla, "would have been built with the purpose of having access to a luxury private home located on the El Nacimiento farm," the Prosecutor's Office published this Thursday. The investigating body added that the property "consists of four contiguous farms with an approximate territorial extension of 100 manzanas (69.9 hectares), which would have been acquired by a corporation related to the former President of the Republic of Guatemala, Alejandro Giammattei." This corporation "had no tax movement and was acquired for an amount of Q50,000 (about 6,500 dollars)", specified the MP. "As a result of the investigation, it was established that a luxurious mansion was built inside the property whose real value is approximately 5 million dollars, which will be confirmed by an appraisal," revealed the Public Ministry. The Extinction of Domain Prosecutor's Office requested the immobilization of the farm before a judge last May. The case, declared under reserve, adds to other accusations against the former head of state. The objective of the proceedings is to investigate the origin of the funds used in the construction of the complex.
