Guatemalan president fires minister over daughter's use of public funds

Sofia Menchu
·1 min read
40
FILE PHOTO: Interview with Guatemala's President Arevalo at the National Palace of Culture, in Guatemala City
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.

By Sofia Menchu

GUATEMALA CITY (Reuters) - Guatemalan President Bernardo Arevalo on Sunday dismissed his minister of environment and natural resources, fewer than 100 days into his term, to "avoid any doubt" over the integrity of his government, a statement said.

Arevalo won the presidential elections in August by a landslide after a campaign that focused heavily on increasing transparency and fighting rampant corruption in Central America's most populous nation.

The dismissal was the first of his term and came after Maria Jose Iturbide acknowledged that her 28-year-old daughter had not followed protocols in the use of vehicles and security meant for the ministry.

The secretary general of the presidency in a statement said that Arevalo made the decision to dismiss Iturbide "to avoid any doubt about his administration's commitment and zero tolerance for misuse of state resources and corruption."

(Reporting by Sofia Menchu in Guatemala City; Writing by Stefanie Eschenbacher; Editing by Mark Porter)