Policy
“A motivational talk”: Congressman who received Q43,000 in travel expenses justifies trip to Paris to accompany athletes
Deputy Gustavo Cifuentes justifies his trip to France to accompany Guatemalan athletes and reported on his stay in Paris.
Deputy Gustavo Cifuentes. (Photo Prensa Libre: Congress of the Republic)
Deputy Gustavo Cifuentes, president of the Sports Commission of the Congress of the Republic, was consulted by Guatevisión News and Prensa Libre this Monday, August 5, to provide further details about the trip he made to Paris, France, to accompany the Guatemalan delegation to the Olympic Games.
The legislator said it was a “last minute trip” that was not planned in his agenda and he received Q43 thousand in travel expenses, which has been criticized on social media.
He added that “an invitation from the International Olympic Committee” arrived to accompany the athletes in Paris.
He said he had forwarded the invitation to the Congress’s Board of Directors to determine whether the trip was feasible.
Cifuentes said that Congress notified her that she could “effectively” accompany the Guatemalan delegation to France.
He said that during the trip he checked the conditions in which the athletes were living. “We had the opportunity to give a motivational talk to some athletes,” he said.
He added that another objective of the trip is to bring ideas to the Sports Commission and improve the conditions of Guatemalan athletes.
Cifuentes, from the Todos bloc, added that the travel expenses were given to them at the “last minute” and according to him, what was left of the Q43 thousand will be used to prepare a dinner for the athletes.
He said: “The travel expenses will not be used in their entirety, part of them will be used for a dinner.”
He concluded by saying that the airline ticket was paid for by the Congress of the Republic.
Users on social media have expressed their displeasure over the trip by MP Cifuentes to France. Some expressed their displeasure because the trip “was paid for with our taxes.”
Read more: Gold for Guatemala! Adriana Ruano achieves maximum glory at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games
Others said that the support of the legislator in Paris was “unnecessary.”
“They don’t support anything if there’s no money,” wrote another netizen.
Travel allowances granted by Congress
#Deputy #received #Q43000 #travel #expenses #justifies #trip #Paris #accompany #athletes
