Americas

Guatemala Congress Picks New VP in Wake of Customs Scandal

Guatemalan Congress President Luis Rabbe (C) listens to other lawmakers during the second election day for a new Guatemalan vice president to replace Roxana Baldetti, who resigned, inside Congress in Guatemala City, May 13, 2015.

GUATEMALA CITY — 

Guatemala has a new vice president to replace a woman who resigned over a widening customs corruption scandal that implicated her top aide.

Congress on Thursday picked Judge Alejandro Maldonado Aguirre from a shortlist of three nominees submitted by President Otto Perez Molina.

Maldonado replaces Roxana Baldetti, whose private secretary has been singled out by authorities as the alleged ringleader of the multimillion-dollar corruption scheme.

Baldetti denies any involvement but nonetheless stepped down last Friday after lawmakers began a probe of whether to remove the immunity that comes with her office.