President stripped of his immunity

Guatemala's Congress voted on Tuesday to strip President Otto Perez of his immunity, clearing the way for him to be prosecuted for allegedly masterminding a multi-million-dollar corruption scheme.

Hours after the resolution was passed unanimously by the 132 lawmakers present, a judge barred Perez, a conservative ex-military man, from leaving the country.

The result gives Perez the dubious distinction of becoming the first president to have his immunity revoked in the Central American country's history.