US bars ex-Guatemala President Alejandro Giammattei from entry 3 days after he left office

GUATEMALA CITY (AP) — The U.S. State Department has barred Guatemala former President Alejandro Giammattei from entry into the United States — three days after he left office – for “significant corruption.” The Biden administration had become increasingly critical of Giammattei’s administration as Guatemalan prosecutors pursued now President Bernardo Arévalo, seeking to interrupt the transition of power. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said in a statement Wednesday that the U.S. had “credible information indicating that Giammattei accepted bribes in exchange for the performance of his public functions during his tenure as president of Guatemala, actions that undermined the rule of law and government transparency.”