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Rule of Law: A key choice for the Comptroller General of Accounts

#FreshStartMonday

Welcome to #FreshStartMonday!

Transparency increases credibility and accountability
 -Park Won-Soon

We resume our Guatemalan Rule of Law series and the concept of transparency in the management of the public treasury. As we concluded in our August newsletter, transparency in the management of public finances is an obligation of state officials; and it is a human right that allows citizens, to have constant supervision of state resources through access to public information.

In Guatemala, the governing body in charge of overseeing the audit of public finances is the Comptroller General's Office (“CGC”), headed by its Comptroller General. This person is elected by the Congress of the Republic for a four-year term. On October 13, 2022, this official will be appointed from a list of six candidates proposed by a Nominating Commission.

The CGC plays a key role in the construction of our Rule of Law and must also comply with the responsibilities assigned to it by the Political Constitution of the Republic of Guatemala and its Organic Law.

The CGC is a decentralized technical institution, whose function is to audit the income, expenditures and interests of state agencies, municipalities, decentralized and autonomous entities, as well as any person that receives state funds or makes public collections. The CGC is the state auditor.

The objective of the CGC is to ensure transparency in the management of state entities that handle public funds, to promote ethical values and responsibilities of public officials and civil servants, as well as to control and ensure the quality of public spending and probity in public administration.

Today, the election of the Comptroller General takes on greater relevance because in 2023 Guatemala will hold general elections. The CGC plays a key role, since it oversees issuing settlements to persons who have left public office and aspire to run for elected office. If a candidate does not have this termination, he/she cannot participate in the election.  

¿Queremos que exista transparencia en el manejo del erario público?  ¿Queremos procesos que fortalezcan la rendición de cuentas, la democracia y el Estado de Derecho?  Prestemos atención y acompañemos el proceso de elección del Contralor General de Cuentas.   

Enjoy your coffee!

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LUIS MAZARIEGOS

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