Another key figure in the investigations into last year's murder of a top Guatemalan bishop has fled the country, claiming to have received anonymous death threats.

The Reverend Mario Orantes, a Roman Catholic priest who shared a house with the murdered bishop, left Guatemala City for an unknown destination on Wednesday.

Chief prosecutor Celvin Galindo left the country a week ago

He is the second person involved in the investigations to leave the country in less than a week. The government's chief prosecutor in the case, Celvin Galindo, left for exile in Europe six days ago, after also claiming to have received death threats.

Reverend Orantes was arrested last year and charged with the murder of Bishop Juan Gerardi but, although later released, he was still under investigation.

He first hit the headlines when he was arrested last July along with his ageing pet dog, a German Shepherd called Baloo.

Anonymous phone calls

The government's chief prosecutor at the time based his case on supposed dog bites that he claimed to have found on Bishop Gerardi's corpse.

But when no incriminating marks appeared the case against Reverend Orantes collapsed and both master and dog were released.

Baloo, who has become a household name in Guatemala, died earlier this month.

According to his lawyer, Reverend Orantes had been receiving anonymous phone calls over the past week convincing him to flee the country so as to protect both his security and his deteriorating health.

DNA testing

He also said his client was free to travel abroad because all the charges against him had been dropped.

Those close to the case, however, say Reverend Orantes' sudden flight abroad was prompted by his fears of being arrested again.

Along with a dozen military officers linked to the murder, he was recently subjected to a DNA test to match blood stains at the scene of the crime.

The results, although still not public, are believed to have incriminated both the priest and the military.

Last week, Mr Galindo fled into exile apparently when he was on the point of ordering the arrest of two of the military officers.