The Minister of the Interior, Marco Antonio Villeda, was left out of the final list of candidates for attorney general, after the nomination commission confirmed, with 10 votes, his qualification of 41.86 points, insufficient to continue in the process.
The score is below the minimum required of 75 points to make up the list of six candidates that will be sent to President Bernardo Arévalo, who must designate the next head of the Public Ministry.
During the evaluation, the commission decided not to take into account Villeda’s length of experience, because he was not registered in the Registry of Lawyers and Notaries, a requirement required in the current process.
The key vote to confirm the qualification was that of Mario García, from Universidad Rural. Representatives of the Supreme Court of Justice (CSJ), the Court of Honor of the College of Lawyers and Notaries of Guatemala (CANG), as well as delegates from the Regional University of the West, Francisco Marroquín, San Pablo, USAC, Panamericana and Da Vinci also supported the decision.
The discussion about the case continued for several hours, in which the situation of the official, who currently holds the Interior portfolio, was analyzed.
According to the breakdown of the evaluation, Villeda obtained 24 points in academic merits, 17.86 in professional merits and 0 in human projection, for a total of 41.86 points.
After knowing the result, Villeda justified not having been registered in the Registry of Lawyers and Notaries and indicated that, if he is left out of the process due to lack of qualification, he will analyze possible legal actions. He assured that due to the time of experience he would have added about 50 points, that is, his grade would have been 91.86.
He indicated that registration in the Registry of Lawyers and Notaries is mandatory for those who litigate or practice notary law, but not for judges, a role he has held throughout his career.
The official stated that his career has been exclusively in the judiciary, so he did not consider it necessary to comply with that requirement. He recalled that in 2010 he participated in the process for attorney general and was included on the list of six candidates without being requested to register.
He added that in 2014, when he applied again, the same situation arose, but the nomination committee concluded that it was not a condition that disqualified him.
Villeda explained that his recent registration responded to a new requirement of the current process, which requires proof of lack of sanctions as a lawyer, a document that he could only obtain if he was registered.
“That forced me, although I do not litigate or practice notary law, to register as a lawyer,” he said.
The nomination commission planned to send this Friday, April 17, the list of six candidates for President Arévalo; However, due to delays in the day, the evaluation of files still continues.
Votes to leave out Marco Antonio Villeda
- Luis Lepe, Regional University
- José González Cuevas, University of the West
- Arturo Saravia, UFM
- Luis Aragón Solé, San Pablo University
- Claudia Paredes, president of the CSJ
- Henry Arriaga, USAC
- Mario García, Rural University
- Enrique Sánchez Usera, Pan American University
- Alicia Franco, Court of Honor of the CANG
- José Reyes, Da Vinci University