President Otto Perez Molina must now appear before Judge Miquel Angel Galvez to answer charges of illicit association, fraud and accepting bribes in a scandal that has roiled the Latin American nation just days ahead of a presidential election.

Perez Molina, who ran in 2011 on a platform to combat crime and corruption, was stripped of his immunity from prosecution on Tuesday by lawmakers, including members of his own conservative Patriotic Party. A retired general, the 64-year-old president has maintained his innocence and agreed to cooperate with the legal process.

The scandal, which has already seen former Vice President Roxana Baldetti jailed and facing charges, involves a criminal network known as "La Linea" or "The Line." Uncovered by a United Nations probe alongside Guatemalan prosecutors, the fraud ring was centered around business people avoiding import taxes by bribing officials through the country's customs agencies. Baldetti resigned in May and her ex-secretary has been named as the alleged ringleader of the network.

Protestors have filled the streets almost daily, calling for the election, set for September 6, to be postponed, and for Perez Molina to step down - a sentiment echoed by business leaders and Guatemala's National Council of Bishops. Perez Molina, who is constitutionally barred from seeking another term, has said delaying the vote would be illegal.

It is now up to Judge Galvez to decide the next step based on Perez Molina's responses to questioning - the president could be removed from his position, jailed or freed based on his testimony.

es/kms (AP, Reuters)