Nicaragua's Interior Ministry on Wednesday ordered house arrest against opposition leader Cristiana Chamorro for her involvement in a money-laundering scandal.
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The presidential pre-candidate was arrested one day after authorities accused her of abusive management and ideological falsehood for her role in the ONG named after her mother and Nicaragua's former president Violeta Barrios de Chamorro.
After months of investigation, the Interior Ministry revealed that the Foundation received over US$1 million from the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID) and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) in 2020.
According to Mision Verdad, Cristiana's brother Carlos Chamorro received over US$152,000 that same year from both agencies, created by Western hemisphere hegemonies to interfere in the internal affairs of sovereign countries.
The Violeta Barrios de Chamorro Foundation, which closed in February, "seriously failed to comply with its obligations. An analysis of its financial statements from 2015 to 2019 revealed clear indications of money laundering," the Interior Ministry stated.
Chamorro, who denies the charges against her, will be disqualified from holding public office for as long as the legal process against her last.
This means that the opposition leader cannot run for the presidential elections next November 7.