Global Voices Online

Stop Corruption by Kenny Miller

After hiding from Justice for four years in Mexico, former President Alfonso Portillo was extradited to Guatemala, where he will face serious charges of corruption and other felonies.

Blogger Tigre 007 [es] said that Guatemala is celebrating the capture. It might just be the case to mark the beginning of declining corruption levels in Guatemala. Happy news for Guatemalans, because  one of the largest frauds with public money might have been forgotten … but not anymore: a former President will be prosecuted in one of the countries with the highest levels of corruption.

However, many people, according to Megachapines Blog [es], still sympathize with the “Zacapaneco” (Portillo's nickname) alleging that this prosecution is fueled by political pressures and is not a fair process. Some hours later, the thought that this would be a fair process was dispelled, and the sensation that it was all a media smokescreen floats around.

At Carpe Diem, Luis Figeroa writes [es]: “Fixed like wrestling or church pews”:

Más arreglada que la lucha libre, o que las bancas de una iglesia, estuvo la entrega de Alfonso Portillo. ¿Va usted a creer que en la Torre de Tribunales había gente que, espontáneamente, gritaba ¡Zacapa te apoya!?