Guatemala election crimes prosecutor on leave due to threats

Guatemala's top prosecutor for electoral crimes has taken temporary leave from his post due to unspecified threats, just days before the country holds national elections.

Chief Prosecutor María Consuelo Porras announced Wednesday that Óscar Shaad had presented a request for a three-month leave. She added that he said in a letter he needs to "ensure my family's safety and mine in the face of tangible threats to my person."

Rony López of the prosecutors' office says Shaad had been given increased personal security but he continued to be worried about his family.

Shaad's name surfaced recently in U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration investigation of a Guatemalan politician who at the time was running for president in this Sunday's vote. The suspect allegedly solicited drug traffickers to murder prosecutors investigating cases.