GUATEMALA CITY - Former first lady of Guatemala Sandra Torres de Colom has been ordered not to leave the country pending an investigation into the misuse of funds for a government anti-poverty program. 

Former Guatemalan president Alvaro Colom, a left-wing politician who leaves office tomorrow, had tried to maintain power by actually divorcing his wife so that she could run for president as a placeholder until he could run again after sitting out a term. But the courts in Guatemala ruled against her eligibility to run for office, as family members are barred from running in successive terms. Even before she was disqualified, polls showed that president-elect Otto Perez Molina would have trounced her after her husband's ineffective administration had left Guatemala a haven for narcotrafficking and gang violence. 

Now comes word that the ex-First Lady is being investigated for misuse of funds for a scheme to redistribute money to the poor, which was misappropriated and used for either personal enrichment or vote buying. 

On Thursday, Judge Yadel Reynoso issued an order demanding that Sandra Torres de Colom not leave the country, as she would likely face a criminal investigation for the misuse of funds. The ex-first lady has not yet commented on the allegations.