Guatemala’s president fires interior minister for alleged corruption in fuel purchase

Guatemala fires minister for alleged corruption

GUATEMALA CITY — Guatemalan President Alvaro Colom has fired his interior minister for alleged corruption and replaced him with a former journalist.

Colom says he found irregularities in a contract signed by Interior Minister Raul Velasquez to buy fuel for the country’s national police.

Colom announced he was firing Velasquez in a televised message to the nation Sunday night.

Local media say that Velasquez authorized a $6.2 million contract with a private company to buy fuel for police but that the company embezzled the money.

Colom replaced Velasquez with Carlos Menocal, a former journalist who was a presidential commissioner responsible for combatting organized crime and corruption.