Former Guatemalan President Otto Pérez Molina (2012-2015) has been sentenced to 16 years in prison for corruption.

The 72-year-old former general led the criminal network "La Línea" in customs, the court ruled. Prosecutors had asked for 30 years in prison. The judgment can still be appealed.

Former Vice President Roxana Baldetti was also sentenced to 16 years in prison. Pérez and Baldetti were convicted of forming a criminal organization and customs fraud. However, they were acquitted of the charge of unjust enrichment. Both have been in custody since 2015 and reject the allegations. Dozens of other defendants were also sentenced to prison terms.

According to the investigators, the group had enabled companies to evade taxes in exchange for bribes when importing goods. Baldetti had already been sentenced to more than 15 years in prison in another corruption trial in 2018.