Guatemala President Otto Perez Molina appears in court

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Guatemalan President Otto Perez Molina has appeared in court after a judge issued a warrant for his arrest.

He had resigned after Congress stripped him of his immunity from prosecution, a first in the Central American nation.

Prosecutors accuse Mr Perez Molina of masterminding a scheme to defraud the customs service of millions of dollars. He denies the allegations.

A spokesman said Mr Perez Molina had decided to step down to "confront the proceedings against him".

Mr Perez Molina's resignation comes just days before Sunday's presidential election. He was barred from standing under constitutional rules.

Analysis: Katy Watson, BBC Central America correspondent

Perez Molina has been hanging on until the bitter end - determined not to resign, even amid weekly protests and calls for him to go.

But stripped of his immunity earlier this week, barred from leaving Guatemala and with an arrest warrant now out, Perez Molina had little choice but to give himself up.

He maintains his innocence and his lawyer says he is prepared to face the accusations against him.

Guatemalans, angry at government corruption, see this as a huge victory.

With presidential elections on Sunday, it sends a message that corruption won't be tolerated as it was in the past - people here see this as the start of a new chapter.

Vice-President Alejandro Maldonado is expected to govern until the new president is sworn in on 14 January.

Mr Maldonado has only been in the post since mid-May, when his predecessor Roxana Baldetti resigned.

Ms Baldetti is accused of involvement in the same corruption scheme which Mr Perez Molina is accused of masterminding.

At least 100 people are being investigated in the scheme, dubbed La Linea, or The Line.

Investigators say the scheme involved businesses paying bribes to government officials and customs officers in return for being allowed to evade import duties.

The corruption scandal triggered a series of mass protests in Guatemala and widespread calls for Mr Perez Molina to resign.

But until Wednesday night, the president had stood firm, saying he would serve out his term.

Congress still has to approve his resignation before it officially comes into force.

On Tuesday, a judge barred Mr Perez Molina from leaving the country "as a precautionary measure".

Earlier this week, he said he would be "very respectful and submit himself to the rule of law".