Former interior minister Carlos Vielman, against whom an arrest warrant was issued, is not a victim of political persecution, Guatemalan President Alvaro Colom said Wednesday, dpa reported.
Vielman, who currently lives in Spain, and several former police officials are wanted in connection with the crimes of a group allegedly formed by the Interior Ministry and the National Civilian Police.
The International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG), which was created by the United Nations and the Guatemalan government in 2008, denounced Tuesday that the group engaged in "summary executions" of prison inmates and committed other crimes against humanity from 2004-07.
"The law is the law, and officials are the first who are obliged to respect it. If they broke the law, it is their problem. This government has nothing to do with that," Colom said.
International arrest warrants were also issued against former police chief Erwin Sperisen and former head of investigations Javier Figueroa, both of who also live in Europe.
A warrant was also issued against former presidential candidate Alejandro Giammattei, who was head of Guatemala's prison system at the time.
Giammattei, who placed third in the 2007 election, has sought refuge in the Honduran embassy in Guatemala City claiming he had received death threats and was being politically persecuted. Honduran authorities have denied him asylum, according to Colom, although he remains in the embassy as a guest.
"This structure, among its criminal activities, carried out murders, drug trafficking, money laundering, kidnappings, extortions and the theft of narcotics from other criminal organizations," the CICIG said in the statement Tuesday.
Six people were arrested Monday in connection with this case, while 12 others, including Vielman, Sperisen and Giammattei, were pending arrest.