Guatemala prosecutors formally accuse ex-president of graft

Guatemalan prosecutors on Wednesday formally accused former president Otto Perez of corruption and called for him to go on trial for links to officials who allegedly took bribes in exchange for lifting import taxes for businessmen.

The announcement tightens a judicial noose around Perez, who was forced to stand down as president and arrested in September because of the building scandal and widening protests.

The public ministry, in charge of state prosecutors, presented a "conclusive declaration" against Perez for conspiracy, customs fraud and passive bribery, a special prosecutor, Juan Sandoval, told reporters.

At least 220 pieces of evidence pointing to the ex-leader's alleged culpability have been gathered over a three-month investigation, he added.

The scandal erupted in April when prosecutors and the UN-backed International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala revealed the bribery case.

Judge Miguel Angel Galvez will now decide whether to put Perez on trial. His verdict is expected to be delivered in January.

The former president is currently detained in a military facility on the northern fringe of Guatemala City.

The scandal that ousted him also brought down his vice president, Roxana Baldetti. She is under guard in a private hospital pending the judge's decision on whether she, too, should face trial.