Guatemala's president quits, jailed pending hearing on corruption charges

Guatemala's President Otto Perez Molina enters the courtroom after a break at the Supreme Court of Justice in Guatemala City, September 3, 2015. Perez has resigned and turned himself into a court on Thursday to face charges in a corruption scandal that gutted his government and plunged Guatemala into chaos days before a national election. Perez, a 64-year-old retired general, quit on Wednesday evening and Congress was due to hold an emergency session to hand power to the vice president later on Thursday. REUTERS/Jorge Dan Lopez

GUATEMALA CITY (Reuters) - Guatemala's Otto Perez resigned as president and was jailed on Thursday while a judge weighs charging him in a corruption scandal that gutted his government and plunged the country into a political crisis days before a presidential election.

In an emergency session, Congress approved Perez's resignation after the retired general quit overnight. Former vice president Alejandro Maldonado was sworn in as president to fill out the remaining months of Perez's term.