A judge in Guatemala City has granted former President Otto Pérez Molina’s request to be released from prison and be placed on house arrest. The former leader first has to pay several fines totaling about $1.3 million. Pérez Molina was forced to resign following historic nationwide protests in 2015. He was accused of corruption and of running a multimillion-dollar bribes scheme. He was sentenced to 16 years in prison in 2022. Pérez Molina served as a regional commander under Efraín Ríos Montt using a different name.