A Guatemalan lawyer shot dead at the weekend has left behind a video in which he accuses the country's president of having arranged his murder.

The president's office has denied any involvement in the killing of Rodrigo Rosenberg, who was shot on Sunday while riding his bicycle in Guatemala City.

In the video, which was distributed on Monday, Rosenberg says: "If you are watching this message, it is because I was assassinated by President Alvaro Colom with help from Gustavo Alejos [the president's private secretary]."

Rosenberg says on the video that officials might want to kill him since he represented a businessman allegedly killed because he had refused to engage in acts of corruption that Colom purportedly invited him to participate in.

Government denial

Audio of the tape was distributed to local media at Rosenberg's funeral, Juan Luis Font, the director of El Periodico newspaper, said.

Video of the statement was later posted on the Youtube website.

Fernando Barrillas, Colom's spokesman, issued a statement saying the government "categorically rejects any accusations made in tapes and statements being distributed to some news media".

"This reveals the intention of creating a political crisis around a case that should be investigated and processed by the courts," the statement posted on the government's website said.

Barrillas said the government would ask for international help in the murder investigation, insisting that Colom will be cleared once "the truth comes to light".