UN's Guterres reiterates support for envoy in Guatemala

Published September 25, 2017

U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres says he continues to fully support the head of a U.N. anti-corruption commission in Guatemala despite the attempt by the president of that country to expel him.

Guterres says he was shocked by President Jimmy Morales' order to remove Ivan Velasquez. The U.N. chief says he'd met Morales just days before, and while Morales had expressed concerns, he didn't ask for Velasquez's removal. Guterres praised the commission's work against corruption.

Guterres made the comments during a news conference Tuesday in Ramallah, where he was meeting with Palestinian officials.

Guatemala's Constitutional Court temporarily blocked Morales' order on Sunday.

On Friday, Velasquez and Guatemala's chief prosecutor announced they were seeking to lift Morales' immunity to prosecution in order to investigate alleged illegal campaign financing.

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