Estimated read time: 1-2 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
GUATEMALA CITY (AP) — The son of a Guatemalan presidential candidate facing drugs and weapons charges in the U.S. said Thursday his father is innocent and is asking lawmakers in the Central American country for an investigation.
Mario Alejandro Estrada Ruano is head of government for the Jalapa department of Guatemala and the son of Mario Estrada Orellana, who was arrested April 17 in Miami.
He said in a statement that the family has doubts about the accusations against the elder Estrada, who allegedly has ties to Mexico's Sinaloa cartel. Estrada is also accused of illicit electoral financing, plotting to kill political rivals and offering to help drug traffickers.
Guatemala's former top prosecutor and presidential candidate Thelma Aldana said in an interview published Thursday by the newspaper Prensa Libre that the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration had warned her that Estrada was planning to have her killed.
A request for confirmation was made to the U.S. Embassy in Guatemala, but there was not an immediate response.
Aldana, candidate for the Seed Movement party, is in El Salvador because of charges against her in Guatemala that she says are politically motivated. Aldana worked closely with the United Nation's anti-corruption commission in Guatemala to prosecute some of the country's most powerful figures, including then-President Otto Perez Molina and most of his Cabinet on corruption charges
On Wednesday, Guatemala's electoral court annulled Estrada's candidacy citing the "notorious" revelations.
Estrada Ruano said Thursday the ruling wouldn't be challenged "although we do not agree."
Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
