An arrest warrant has been issued against Guatemala’s President Otto Perez Molina, according to the public prosecutor’s office.
On Tuesday, congress voted to remove his immunity from prosecution amid corruption allegations.
Prosecutors accuse the president of masterminding a scheme to defraud the customs service of millions of dollars, allegations he denies.
A judge has barred Perez Molina from leaving the country.
The president, whose term runs out in January, will now be summoned to appear before a court.
The detention order was signed by judge Miguel Angel Galvez, the prosecutor’s office said.
A spokesman for Perez Molina had earlier said the president would be “very respectful and submit himself to the rule of law”.
Demonstrators react as they hear the news that Congress has voted to withdraw President Otto Perez Molina’s immunity from prosecution on 1 September, 2015.
On Tuesday, all members of congress present at the vote endorsed a move to strip the president of his immunity.
They included members of the president’s own party, after previous vote to remove his immunity failed last month.
But since then, more details of the corruption scandal have emerged and calls for the president to resign have increased.
Investigators allege that government officials received a cut from bribes paid by businesses seeking to evade import duties.
Vice-President Roxana Baldetti and a string of top officials have been forced to resign over the scandal.
Ms Baldetti is in jail awaiting trial on charges of taking millions of dollars in bribes.
The president was stripped of his immunity just days before presidential elections on Sunday.
Some protesters have demanded that the polls be postponed, but officials argue that it would be against the law.
Otto Perez Molina is barred by the constitution from standing again.
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