GUATEMALA CITY -- Guatemala's Congress lifted President Otto Perez Molina's immunity of office on Tuesday, opening him up to possible prosecution in a customs corruption scandal.
All 132 lawmakers present in the 158-seat assembly voted to approve the measure. Prosecutors are now free to file criminal charges against Perez Molina just like they could against any other citizen, and a judge would be able to order the president's detention.
The congressional vote does not remove Perez Molina from office. A judge later granted an order barring him from traveling outside the country.
"Guatemala is showing that nobody is above the law, and as a result this is a message for all current and future public servants that our behavior must be subject to the constitution," prosecutor Thelma Aldana said at a news conference.
About 200 people outside the Capitol hugged each other, cheered, waved Guatemalan flags and set off firecrackers as news of the congressional vote reached them. Drivers honked horns, and people recorded the moment with selfies.
Perez Molina, 64, has said he is innocent of corruption and has vowed to face the legal process against him.
"The president is aware of the new scenario, which was not the most desirable but was very probable," said his spokesman, Jorge Ortega. "He has said he will be very respectful and submit himself to the rule of law."
Those voting against Perez Molina included members of his ruling party.
"The party gave us permission to vote and withdraw the president's immunity," lawmaker Luis Fernandez Chenal said.
There was no immediate word on when any charges may be filed against the president, but prosecutors say they have reason to believe he was involved in the customs scheme.
Uncovered by prosecutors and a United Nations commission investigating criminal networks in Guatemala, the case involved a ring known as La Linea, or The Line, in which businessmen paid bribes to avoid import duties through the customs agency. The ring is believed to have defrauded the country of millions of dollars.
The scandal has already claimed the job of Perez Molina's former vice president, Roxana Baldetti, whose former personal secretary was accused of being the ringleader. Baldetti resigned May 8 and is in jail awaiting trial on accusations of taking millions of dollars in bribes. A number of Cabinet officials have also left office.
Protesters have demanded not only that Perez Molina step down but also that Sunday's presidential elections be postponed. The president has said delaying the vote would be against the law.
Perez cannot run for re-election and is set to remain in office until a hand-over in January.
Information for this article was contributed by Peter Orsi of The Associated Press.
A Section on 09/02/2015