Guatemala prosecutors request to remove Arevalo's presidential immunity

GUATEMALA CITY (Reuters) - Guatemalan prosecutors on Wednesday filed a request to strip President Bernardo Arevalo of the criminal immunity granted to his role so he can face charges for alleged abuse of authority, the latest twist in an ongoing face-off between the two sides.

This is the third such request lodged against Arevalo in the year since he was elected after running on an anti-graft campaign. All have come from the Special Prosecutor's Office Against Impunity (FECI), which first sought to prevent Arevalo from taking office, and have worked to force him to abandon it.

The prosecutor leading the charge against him, Rafael Curruchiche, is on the U.S. State Department's Engel List of Corrupt and Undemocratic Actors and has been sanctioned by more than 40 countries.

Curruchiche said on Wednesday that Arevalo needed to answer allegations that he gave illegal instructions to his former Communications Minister Jazmin de la Vega about payments to construction companies hired by the previous administration.

Prosecutors presented a leaked recording of the alleged conversation.

Among the companies is a firm with ties to Guatemala's ambassador to the Organization of American States holding an $8.5 million contract, Curruchiche said.

Arevalo denied the allegations in a statement through his social communications office, saying "Mr. Curruchiche's nonsense has no basis for any sort of penal request."

(Reporting by Sofia Menchu; Writing by Kylie Madry; Editing by Richard Chang)