He settlement once again placed itself at the center of public debate after the resolution that prevents Walter Mazariegos assume a new term as rector of the University of San Carlos, because he does not have the certificate issued by the Comptroller General of Accounts (CGC).
The document, which for many goes unnoticed until a high-profile case arises, also becomes relevant as the electoral process approachessince it is one of the requirements for those seeking to hold certain public positions.
Although its purpose is to prove that an official does not have any pending objections or claims Due to the management of State resources, specialists warn that in recent years the settlement has also been surrounded by controversies due to the way in which it has been applied in different political processes.
But, What is the settlement? What is it for and why can it become a determining requirement to assume a public position? These are the data that explain its function.
What is the settlement?
The Temporary Electronic Certificate of Non-existence of Claim of Chargesknown as settlementis a document issued by the Comptroller General of Accounts (CGC) that certifies that an official or former official has no objections, claims or pending responsibilities derived from the exercise of a public office.
Its purpose is to prove that the person has complied with the accountability and that there are no pending issues related to the management of State resources.
What is it for?
The Comptroller’s Office explains that this certificate is requested by people who will enter the public sector, by active public servants, and by those seeking to run for elected office.
In general terms, the document constitutes a requirement to apply for certain public positions and seeks to guarantee that those who administer state resources have resolved any observation or administrative responsibility. before assuming new functions.
Thousands of certificates are issued every year
The CGC’s work reports show that the issuance of these documents It remains in the tens of thousands each year.
In 2023 the institution awarded 105 thousand 510 temporary electronic certificates of non-existence of claim of chargesin addition to updating the data of 73 thousand 354 public officials and employees. That same year, improvements were implemented in the system. Online Settlementthrough which the payment of the procedure began to be registered automatically to speed up the issuance of the document.
During 2024, 66 thousand 395 recordswhile 67,390 public officials and employees They updated their information.
In 2025 the figure rose to 69 thousand 204 certificates issuedin addition to updating data 67 thousand 140 public officials and employees.
What are the requirements to obtain it?
- Count on username and password from the web portal of the Comptroller General of Accounts (obtained through registration and updating of data).
- Update personal and work data on the portal before making the request.
- Have no sanctions or pending legal actionsa requirement that applies to those who have been public officials or servants. This condition can be verified in the Electronic Consultation Module for Legal and Administrative Actions of the CGC.
- Submit a sworn declaration at the time of generating the electronic request.
- Cancel the cost of the procedurecurrently from Q75.50through the ticket generated by the system.
A requirement that becomes relevant again
For Manfredo Marroquín, executive director of Citizen Actionthe settlement was born as a mechanism to certify that an official does not have outstanding objections arising from his management and, therefore, can apply for another public position.
“A person without a settlement should not apply for another position having outstanding accounts with the State”stated the analyst, pointing out that consistency seeks to guarantee that those who managed public funds resolve any observations before assuming new responsibilities.
However, he considers that in recent years the figure has lost part of its credibility due to the way in which it has been applied.
As he explained, there have been cases of people who obtained the document despite there being questions about its management, while others have been denied even when no objections had been demonstrated, which, in his opinion, reflects discretionary use. Just as he recalled what happened in the 2023 process.
“That figure, that settlement tool, has been used a lot for eminently political purposes.“, he expressed.
The analyst added that this requirement will regain prominence as the electoral process progresses, because it continues to be one of the documents required for those seeking to exercise public functions.
Marroquín considers that Mazariegos’ situation is different from those antecedents. In his opinion, there are reservations and observations related to accountability that have not yet been resolved, which is why he maintains that he should not assume a new position until he obtains the corresponding settlement.
The director of Citizen Action maintained that, since Mazariegos assumed the administration of the USAC, observations from the Comptroller’s Office persist that have not been clarified and pointed out that there have also been difficulties in complying with the mechanisms established for accountability.
“It is clear that at the university, since he has run it, he has not been fully accountable, he has many objections from the Comptroller’s Office and he has not resolved those objections.“he stated.
He added that the settlement should not be understood only as an administrative requirement, but as a mechanism that reflects whether an official fulfilled his obligation to make the management of public resources transparent and respond to the observations made during his administration.