WASHINGTON, DC—Representative Eliot L. Engel, the top Democrat on the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, today made the following statement on the resignation of Guatemalan President Otto Perez Molina: 

"President Perez Molina's resignation is a clear signal that the Guatemalan people will no longer accept lawlessness and corruption from their leaders. Over the last several months, the Guatemalan Attorney General's office and the United Nations International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG) have fought to ensure that those who commit crimes will face consequences for their actions. Most importantly, the Guatemalan people have decided that enough is enough and have demanded that their political leaders play by the same rules as everyone else. The United States must continue to stand with Guatemalan institutions that demand accountability and justice. The United States Congress's support for these institutions is more crucial now than ever, and I will work with my colleagues in the House and Senate to ensure that targeted funding in support of the rule of law and economic development in Guatemala moves ahead. Finally, we must let the Guatemalan justice system do its work and remember that just as in our country, any individual on trial is innocent until proven guilty."

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