Guatemalan minister fired after 4 months amid payments controversy

After just over four months as Guatemala’s communications, infrastructure and housing (CIV) minister, President Bernardo Arévalo fired Jazmín de la Vega for not following direct instructions. 

The move was announced on Monday by Arévalo who said during a press conference that De la Vega “made payments [to construction contractors] outside of the agreed mechanism that was destined to guarantee that there were no problems with payments. Having sent these payments outside of the agreed mechanism we have taken the decision to remove [her],” the president said.

The decision was later explained to lawmakers by the office of the private secretary of the presidency. On Tuesday, its spokesperson Ana Tager told congressmen that the situation caused a “loss of trust” in De la Vega.

“This caused the president to have no trust in the way in which the resources of the State were managed and he chose [De la Vega’s] removal. The government is committed to transparency and to zero-tolerance to corruption,” Tager was quoted as saying in a congressional release.

De la Vega said during a press conference after the announcement that she was fired because she had “refused to obey orders that were clearly illegal,” according to news outlet La República. 

According to that same report, Arévalo and De la Vega clashed over the former’s proposed payment scheme to construction contractors participating in infrastructure projects financed with public funds. The scheme included payments every three months, while De la Vega wanted to follow a payment system based on monthly progression forecasts. 

Tager and Haroldo Sánchez, communications secretary of the presidency, told congressmen that the government is working closely with the national antigraft commissioner to make public all possible corruption findings related to this and other cases.

On Monday evening Arévalo announced De la Vega’s replacement: surgeon and Movimiento Semilla party’s former political affairs secretary Félix Alvarado. 

A report published by Prensa Latina news outlet says the new head of the CIV is a social development and institutional strengthening consultant, focused on education. 

This is the second time Arévalo’s administration has removed an official for disobeying orders. In April the government announced the firing of the environment and natural resources management secretary, María José de Iturbide, who misused public funds, according to the same report.