Guatemala Welcomes New
Law
GUATEMALA - The
Guatemalan government
and civil society
happily welcomed a new
law of Free Access to
Information, and
considered it a tool to
make administration of
public funds accountable
and fight prevailing
corruption in the
country.
The law, previously
approved by majority of
votes at the Republic's
Congress, makes state
institutions answer for
their performance and
report on the use of
public funds.
This is a very huge step
looking for public
accountability and
democracy in the
country, said acting
President Rafael Espada,
one of the main
promoters of this
initiative.
The Legislation, which
was at a standstill in
Parliament for 10 years,
establishes
administrative and penal
sanctions for those who
refuse to give
information.
By virtue of this rule,
the population could ask
for details about the
budget allocated to a
work and how it is
implemented, the hired
personnel, salaries and
handling of state
resources.
Human rights activist
Frank La Rue considered
the law a positive step,
although he questioned
the fact of classifying
certain information as
confidential.
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