Judge Charges Former Guatemalan President in Bribery Case

The jailed former President of Guatemala Otto Perez Molina could face a corruption trial after a judge slapped him with additional charges Wednesday.

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Guatemalan Judge Juez Miguel Angel Galvez charged the former president with money laundering and bribery for his involvement in the high-profile corruption scandal known as La Linea.

The scandal, which forced Perez Molina and Vice President Roxana Baldetti to resign, involved a massive fraud network that operated a bribery scheme in the country’s tax authority.

The court alleges that the former president and vice president were the ringleaders of the corruption scheme which saw bribes paid to government officials in return for lower import taxes.

But Perez Molina's attorneys argue the judge was pressured by Guatemalan people and international organization to bring down the extra charges.

Galvez however says he based his decision on evidence presented by the state prosecutor's office and the U.N.- and U.S.-backed International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala.

On the decision, Perez Molina was unperturbed. "There's nothing new, I was already linked to the case ... I was not expecting to be released," he told the press in the Guatemalan court.

Perez Molina, along with the 52 other official charged, will now enter a phase called “intermediate,” in which a judge will determine whether they will face an oral or public trial.