Tonight, Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales continues to be the subject of controversy in his country after journalists uncovered what is believed to be questionable spending of public monies.
News reports out of Guatemala say that the Presidential Office of Administrative Affairs paid $40,000 US dollars for goods and expenses in 2017 on his behalf. He reportedly receives one of the highest salaries of of the presidents in Latin America at $20,000 US a month.
Yesterday, he was questioned about his expenses during a news conference, and he was asked about a pair of designer Carolina Herrera sunglasses worth almost $3,000 US. When asked why he didn't pay for it out of his pocket, he is quoted as responding, "Because I don't have to pay for them out of my salary… I was handed that pair of glasses, do you think I go asking for those kinds of purchases?"
News of the purchases have angered Guatemalans who see the public spending as unjustifiable. The purchases included vitamins, bottles of rum - included a bottle of whisky worth $400 US - shampoo, and sports items such as running socks, a golf cap, T-shirts and shorts, and dry cleaning.
A presidential spokesperson defended the purchase of the tennis outfit saying that it was for an official activity with the US ambassador. The spokesperson said that the president needed that gear to accept the invitation to that event, which came at the last minute.
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