On Monday, Guatemalan authorities announced the arrest of five people for laundering money in a network which allegedly included Gloria Torres, sister to first lady (and·former presidential candidate) Sandra Torres Colom. The detainees include two former city councilors, according to the Latin American Herald Tribune. There are reportedly at least another 12 suspects still at large, including Gloria Torres, who has been missing since authorities issed a warrant for her arrest on November 30. That day, police raided her home in Guatemala City and arrested her youngest daughter, Cristina, currently in prison. Another daughter, Maria Marta, is also wanted on fraud charges but is missing alongside her mother.
Gloria Torres is a key figure in Guatemala politics. She co-founded President Alvaro Colom’s party UNE in 2000. The president later appointed her as a special liaison with Guatemala’s municipal governments. She was secretary of UNE but resigned in April 2011 due to a squabble with the party over her sister’s candidacy for presidency.
Gloria Torres and two of her daughters are accused of laundering about 1.5 million quetzales (about $192,000) worth of municipal funds between 2004 and 2006. Plaza Publica gives a brief history of the allegations against Gloria, who is no stranger to scandal. According to the news site, she is known to have associated with Obdulio Solorzano, a former congressman who directed a government agency known as FONEPAZ, a fund for rural development projects. He resigned his post after the government began investigating claims that FONEPAZ couldn’t account for some $58 million in contracts.
Detailed news link: here