In 2022, a bill was presented to the Legislative Directorate that sought to grant Q3 billion more to the Communications, Infrastructure and Housing (CIV) portfolio, for the improvement of the road network. It was approved in an express manner and strongly questioned because it could be a cause of corruption.
Decree 21-2022, Law to Strengthen the Maintenance and Construction of Strategic Infrastructure, was included in the legislative agenda for third reading and final drafting in less than 15 days, amid a context of rejection of the approval of the law for the protection of life and family, so it went almost unnoticed.
It was presented as an initiative by Shirley Rivera, then president of the Board of Directors, supported by Maynor Mejía Popol, Carlos Roberto Calderón and Cándido Leal, all members of Vamos. But Aníbal Rojas, from Viva and Carlos Enrique López, from the National Union for Hope (UNE), were also present. All of them allied with Alejandro Giammattei’s Executive.
The legal regulation increased the CIV budget by Q3,191 million more for projects detailed in the same decree, that is, the document contained a table with road infrastructure projects such as road maintenance, technical assistance and acquisition of bridges, for the construction and improvement of roads, also in overpasses and educational infrastructure.
The source of financing for this expansion came from the balance that was not executed in 2021, which corresponded to approximately Q12 billion.
On March 15, 2022, the bill was announced in the House of Commons and approved. Opposition deputies such as the Opposition Parliamentary Group, Winaq and the Semilla Movement opposed the law because they pointed out that it was an “attempt to plunder the State,” as stated at the time by Deputy Román Castellanos.
Analysts also questioned the fact that more funds were granted because it seemed like a political strategy for the 2023 elections, and that it raised doubts because the CIV has been used on several occasions to benefit certain companies.
The law granted the General Directorate of Roads (DGC) Q1,286,809,853.90; the Road Conservation Executive Unit (Covial), Q1,748,670,146.10; the State Building Construction Unit (UCEE), Q120 million; and the Social Solidarity Fund (FSS), Q35,762,500.
The then-governing party Vamos and its allies defended the budget increase, stating that Guatemala’s road infrastructure requires a strong investment and that with the allocation of these resources, the necessary corrections can be made to make the country’s roads competitive, since the initiative includes the construction and repair of several bridges.
This year, the Comptroller General’s Office (CGC) filed complaints for Q6.96 billion against seven officials of the previous government, including former Minister Javier Maldonado, the former Vice Minister of Urban Development, the former Vice Minister of Infrastructure, the former General Director, the former Executive Coordinator, the former Vice Minister of Buildings and the former Interim Director.
In the budget extension, at the request of Bernardo Arévalo’s CIV, deputies from the ruling party and allies of the Executive promoted the repeal of the article that prohibited the modification of the bills of said law. Free press The issue was followed up on and it became clear that just over a year after approval, the amounts stipulated in the legal regulations were increasing.
“What happened is that the CIV itself came across the fact that this article was there and it made it difficult for them to continue with some infrastructure projects that were about to be completed, but they came up against it. It was a particular request from the ministry,” said Román Castellanos, who in 2022 was one of the main opponents of the law.
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