PRESIDENT COLOM ANNOUNCES PERSONNEL CHANGES AT

C O N F I D E N T I A L GUATEMALA 000977 SIPDIS C O R R E C T E D C O P Y (DELETED A REF LINE) DEPT PLEASE PASS TO WHA CENTRAL AMERICAN COLLECTIVE E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/29/2018 TAGS: PGOV KCRM KJUS PHUM GT SUBJECT: PRESIDENT COLOM ANNOUNCES PERSONNEL CHANGES AT PUBLIC AND DEFENSE MINISTRIES REF: A. GUATEMALA 935 ¶B. GUATEMALA 796 Classified By: Charge d'Affaires D. Lindwall for reasons 1.4 (b,d) ¶1. (U) On July 29, President Colom announced changes in the military high command and the Public Ministry. Jose Amilcar Velasquez Zarate, Chief of the Attorney General's Guatemala City Office, will replace Juan Luis Florido as Attorney General. Colom also announced that General Ronald Mauricio Illescas Garcia, Commander of the Military Honor Guard Brigade, will replace General Hugo Fernando Say Mutz as Army Chief of Staff. General Jose Luis Barrientos Paau, who is currently in charge of training for the Army, will replace General Julio Roberto Villagran de Leon as the Army's Inspector General. ¶2. (C) In previous conversations with Charge, Colom stated that he had not decided whether Velasquez would serve as Attorney General in a temporary capacity or if he would serve the remainder of Florido's term through May 2010. During a July 29 press conference, Colom stated that he had offered Attorney General Florido a diplomatic position abroad. ¶3. (C) During a private July 30 conversation with Charge, Florido stated that he had reached an agreement with Colom to resign. The agreement called for a "gracious, decorous exit" and guarantees for Florido's personal security, given the sensitive nature of the position he was leaving. Florido told Charge that Colom's offer of the ambassadorship in Chile would effectively address both aspects of the agreement. Florido, however, said that he was not sure he would accept this ambassadorship since he would prefer a posting closer to home. Florido attributed his removal to opponents within the presidency, specifically legal advisors, as well as civil society and the International Commission Against Impunity in Guatemala (CICIG). According to Florido, his replacement Velasquez is a strong prosecutor and, based on his solid record, Florido promoted Velasquez in 2004 to the number two position in the Attorney General's Office. His only criticism of Velasquez was that he is not a "visionary." ¶4. (U) Newly appointed Attorney General Velasquez began his career in the Public Ministry in 1993 as an assistant prosecutor and has served as Acting Attorney General on six occasions. He is currently the Chief Prosecutor for Guatemala City and serves on the Attorney General's Advisory Board. Together with Florido, he was one of the five candidates for Attorney General approved by Congress in 2006. Velasquez received his law degree from San Carlos University and has served his alma mater as a law professor and coordinator of the Law School's Criminal Law Department. ¶5. (C) According to press reports, former Army Chief of Staff Brigadier General Say Mutz will retire from the Army and Army Inspector General Villagran will be reassigned within the Ministry of Defense. DAO enjoyed a good working relationship with Say Mutz and expects to have an equally good relationship with new Army Chief of Staff, Brigadier General Illescas. More changes may follow in the Defense Ministry. ¶6. (C) Comment: President Colom has long wanted to remove Florido for his poor record of prosecutions and convictions. CICIG and civil society leaders appear to have influenced President Colom's decision. Embassy views Florido's removal as an indication of Colom's desire to strengthen rule of law Qas an indication of Colom's desire to strengthen rule of law and to work closely with CICIG to more effectively address the current climate of impunity and violence. Lindwall