Guatemala confirms warrant for presidential candidate

GUATEMALA CITY – A court in Guatemala says an arrest warrant has been issued for a former Guatemalan prosecutor who is running for president.

But because Thelma Aldana was formally registered Tuesday by the election board as a candidate in the June elections, under Guatemalan law she has immunity from prosecution.

Aldana was nominated by the Seed Movement party and is running second in polls.

A spokeswoman for Guatemala's Supreme Court says the warrant against Aldana is related to a corruption investigation involving illegal hiring.

Sixty-three-year-old Thelma Aldana was Guatemala's top prosecutor from 2014 to 2018. During that time, she jailed then-President Otto Perez Molina and most of his Cabinet on corruption charges. Perez Molina resigned in 2015.