Roxana Baldetti

In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is Baldetti and the second or maternal family name is Elías.
Roxana Baldetti
Official portrait, 2012
13th Vice President of Guatemala
In office
January 14, 2012 – May 9, 2015[1]
PresidentOtto Pérez Molina
Preceded byRafael Espada
Succeeded byAlejandro Maldonado
Deputy in the Congress of Guatemala
In office
January 14, 2008 – March 14, 2011
Second General Secretary of the Patriotic Party
In office
January 20, 2009 – September 14, 2014
Preceded byOtto Pérez Molina
Succeeded byValentín Gramajo
Personal details
Born
Ingrid Roxana Baldetti Elías

(1962-05-13) May 13, 1962 (age 62)
Guatemala City Guatemala
Political partyPatriotic Party
SpouseMariano Paz
ChildrenLuis Pedro Paz Baldetti
Mario Paz Baldetti
ResidenceGuatemala City
Alma materUniversidad de San Carlos de Guatemala
WebsiteOfficial website (2010 archive)

Ingrid Roxana Baldetti Elías (born May 13, 1962)[2][3] is a Guatemalan politician who served as the first female Vice President of Guatemala from 2012 until her resignation amid a corruption scandal in 2015.[4][1][5] In 2018, she was sentenced to 15½ years in prison for illicit association, fraud, and influence peddling,[6][3][1][7] and to 16 years in 2022 for illicit association and customs fraud for her part in the La Linea corruption ring.[6][8]

Early life

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Baldetti was born on May 13, 1962, in Guatemala City to Alejandro Baldetti[citation needed] and Gladys Elías de Baldetti.[9] She was raised by her mother, who owned a beauty salon, in a conservative, Catholic household in the working-class neighborhood Colonia Primero de Julio neighborhood of Guatemala City. She has two brothers.[10][9][1] Baldetti attended Colegio Monte Carmelo for primary school[citation needed] and graduated from El Sagrado Corazón de Jesús in Guatemala City's Centro Histórico neighborhood as a primary education teacher.[1] In 1997, she obtained a bachelor's degree in journalism at the University of San Carlos of Guatemala.[10][1]

Baldetti was first runner-up in the 1980 Miss Guatemala competition.[10][9]

Career

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After working as an elementary school substitute teacher, Baldetti started her career in journalism on the news program Aquí el Mundo. She then co-founded TV Noticias[1][11] and worked at Univisión as a correspondent from Guatemala for the show Primer Impacto. In the 1990s, she was appointed to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs by President Jorge Serrano Elías and worked as Press Secretary.[5][1][10] She has been accused of heading censorship of the media in Serrano's favor, which she denies.[9][10][12][1] At this time, she worked with the United Nations on a national level to promote women's rights[5] and attended conferences[clarification needed] in partnership with Kellogg's Central America.[citation needed] She left the Press Office in 1994 after being accused by the State of taking equipment from the office. She did not attend her court date, and the case was eventually dropped without resolution due to lack of substantial evidence.[10][1]

Baldetti spent the next several years in a variety of related spaces: she formed an advertisement production company, taught public relations courses, and finished her journalism degree.[10] In 2000, she co-founded the Patriot Party (PP) with Otto Pérez Molina, whom she had met while working for Serrano, and was elected to Congress as a national-list representative (as opposed to a district-specific representative).[11][1][5][9][13] She held the role of Block Head starting in 2007.[13] In June 2009, she became PP's General Secretary and the party's leader in Congress.[5][14]

As required by law, she resigned from Congress ahead of the 2011 Guatemalan general election after formalizing her candidacy as vice president on Pérez's ticket.[15] Part of their platform was focused on fighting corruption, something Baldetti had worked on while in Congress.[11][9] They won the November elections and she became Guatemala's first-ever female vice president.[9][16][5][17] They took office on January 14, 2012.[1]

Outside of her governmental work, she founded a beauty products company, Maorlis SA, and owned a spa and a hair salon chain.[10][1][9][13] Some of her businesses were later implicated as front organizations during the La Linea corruption case.[18]

El Periódico article

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In 2013, Guatemalan newspaper El Periódico published an article outlining Baldetti's purchases of multi-million dollar homes, luxury goods, and frequent travel, and her fortune was estimated to be around 10 million dollars, significantly exceeding what she should have acquired on her salary.[19][20][9] The newspaper wrote that she allegedly spent $2,000 worth of government money to buy "private gifts like Swiss chocolates, French perfumes and Ron Zacapa Centenario"[9] and raised suspicions about photographs of drug trafficker Chacón Rossell at Baldetti's birthday party. Her two Tecpán farms and US$13.4 million helicopter were thought to be gifts from alleged PP supporters.[9]

In response to the investigation into the unexplained wealth, a Guatemalan judge initiated legal proceedings against the editor of El Periódico, José Rubén Zamora, including issuing Baldetti a restraining order against him. The Inter American Press Association subsequently denounced the judicial action as a form of censorship.[21][22][23] Baldetti denied the published accusations, claimed she did not know Rossell, and stated that she had worked hard for what she had.[9]

Resignation, arrest, and conviction

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See also: La Linea corruption case

Baldetti resigned from her post as vice president on May 8, 2015,[1] after a United Nations anti-corruption investigation issued arrest warrants for 24 individuals,[citation needed] including her former personal secretary Juan Carlos Monzón Rojas, for involvement in an import bribery scheme. Known as La Línea (the Line),[1][24] it included officials receiving bribes to reduce duties paid by importers.[25] Baldetti was detained on fraud charges on August 21, 2015, while at the hospital.[26][27][28]

Audio from a wiretapped phone call featuring Baldetti's voice was played in court,[29] and wiretaps of others implicated in the scandal refer to her involvement with references to "the R," "the No. 2," and "the Lady." Her arrest was followed by prosecutor Thelma Aldana's call for President Molina to be impeached and protests demanding his resignation, which he eventually succumbed to.[26][1] On October 27, 2017,[30] Judge Miguel Ángel Gálvez of Guatemala City ordered Baldetti, Pérez, and another 26 people, including former senior officials from Guatemala's customs duty system, to face trial on charges related to bribes channeled to officials helping businesses evade customs duties.[31]

On October 9, 2018, Baldetti was sentenced to 15½ years in prison for illicit association, fraud, and influence peddling related to the issuance of government contracts to an Israeli company to clean Lake Amatitlán, something she did without first submitting the requisite environmental paperwork.[7][3][1] Her brother Mario Alejandro was also charged with corruption.[32][3]

On January 18, 2022, another La Linea-related trial began for Baldetti, where she served as Pérez's co-defendant.[33] She was sentenced on 7 December 2022 to 16 years in prison for the graft case but can appeal.[6] In March 2023, the judge granted permission for Baldetti to be transported from the prison to her home four days a week to receive pre-operative treatment for back problems.[34]

In 2017, she was acquitted of cocaine trafficking charges in the United States.[35][36]

Personal life

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In 1987, she married Mariano Paz, a farmer from San Marcos with an agricultural distribution business. They have two sons, Luis Pedro (born in the late 1980s) and Mario (born c. 1991).[9][1][10]

Jorge Serrano Elías was reported to be her uncle,[1] but other sources refute this.[10] In a radio interview, Baldetti denied ever claiming relation to him.[10]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s Juárez, Tulio (2015-05-08). "¡Ingrid Roxana Baldetti Elías renuncia de la vicepresidencia!" [Ingrid Roxana Baldetti Elías resigns from the vice presidency!]. El Periódico (in Spanish). Archived from the original on 2015-05-18. Retrieved 9 May 2015.
  2. ^ Pitán, Edwin (2016-05-13). "Roxana Baldetti pasa su primer cumpleaños en la cárcel" [Roxana Baldetti spends her first birthday in prison] (in Spanish). Prensa Libre. Retrieved 2023-11-29.
  3. ^ a b c d "Former vice president Ingrid Roxana Baldetti and nine other people were sentenced for Lake Amatitlán case". International Commission against Impunity in Guatemala. 2018-10-12. Retrieved 2023-11-29.
  4. ^ "Baldetti, First Woman to Be Vice President in Guatemala". Prensa Latina News Agency. Retrieved 2012-01-13.[dead link‍]
  5. ^ a b c d e f Wirtz, Nic (2011-11-09). "The Road to Victory for Otto Pérez Molina, Guatemala's President-Elect". Americas Quarterly. Retrieved 2023-10-05.
  6. ^ a b c Mechu, Sofia (7 December 2022). "Guatemala court sentences ex-President Perez, ex-VP in graft case". Reuters. Retrieved 11 December 2022.
  7. ^ a b "Ex-Guatemala vice president sentenced to 15-1/2 years in prison". Reuters. October 9, 2018.
  8. ^ Pérez Marroquín, César; Pitán, Edwin; Solórzano, Sara (2022-12-07). "Condenan a 16 años de cárcel por dos delitos a Otto Pérez Molina y Roxana Baldetti y les imponen multa de Q8 millones en caso La Línea" [Otto Pérez Molina and Roxana Baldetti are sentenced to 16 years in prison for two crimes and fined Q8 million in the La Línea case] (in Spanish). Prensa Libre. Retrieved 2023-11-29.
  9. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Zamora, José Rubén (2013-04-08). "A fairy tale without a happy ending" (PDF). El Periódico. pp. 6–9. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-01-04. Retrieved 2019-10-09.
  10. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Martínez de Zárate, Ana (2011-11-18). "La Vicepresidente y sus contradicciones" [The Vice President and her contradictions] (in Spanish). Plaza Pública. Retrieved 2023-11-29.
  11. ^ a b c "Alfombra roja: Roxana Baldetti" [Red carpet: Roxana Baldetti] (in Spanish). Política Exterior. 2015-05-22. Retrieved 2023-11-29.
  12. ^ "Baldetti: los desencuentros de una comunicadora con la prensa" [Baldetti: the disagreements of a communicator with the press] (in Spanish). Soy 502. 2014-09-16. Retrieved 2023-11-29.
  13. ^ a b c "Guatemala: Renunció La Vicepresidenta, Roxana Baldetti, Salpicada Por Un Caso De Corrupción" [Guatemala: Vice President Roxana Baldetti Resigned, Affected By A Corruption Case] (in Spanish). Nodal. 2015-05-09. Retrieved 2023-11-29.
  14. ^ Baires Quezada, Rodrigo (2013-05-27). "La fiesta de Baldetti, las ganas de Sinibaldi" [Baldetti's party, Sinibaldi's desire] (in Spanish). Plaza Pública. Retrieved 2023-11-29.
  15. ^ "Roxana Baldetti debera renunciar a su curul a mas tardar el 15 de agosto" [Roxana Baldetti must resign her seat no later than August 15]. Detalles y Servicios. 2011-05-25. Archived from the original on 2011-08-29.
  16. ^ "Magistrados del TSE oficializaron resultados de la segunda elección presidencial" [TSE magistrates made official results of the second presidential election] (in Spanish). Tribunal Supremo Electoral. 2011-11-17. Archived from the original on 2014-01-16. Retrieved 2012-01-17.
  17. ^ "Departamento de Guatemala y Distrito Central dan victoria a Otto Pérez" [Department of Guatemala and Central District give victory to Otto Pérez]. siglo21.com.gt. Archived from the original on 2011-12-15. Retrieved 2018-10-10.
  18. ^ "Eco detalla las actividades ilícitas de las empresas de Pérez y Baldetti". ElPeriódico (in Spanish). Guatemala. 30 September 2015. Archived from the original on September 30, 2015. Retrieved 30 September 2015.
  19. ^ Martínez, Alejandro (2013-04-17). "Cyberattack on El Periódico in Guatemala is the most recent in a long history of aggressions". Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas. Retrieved 2023-11-29.
  20. ^ "Un cuento de hadas sin final feliz" [A fairytale without a happy ending]. CIPER 16. 2013-04-15. Retrieved 2023-11-29.
  21. ^ "Court order in Guatemala bans journalist from approaching vice president". IFEX. January 3, 2014. Retrieved January 4, 2014.
  22. ^ "Mission to Guatemala will investigate senior officials' complaints with editor". IFEX. January 14, 2014. Retrieved February 3, 2014.
  23. ^ Vega, P.; C. Quintela (October 1, 2013). "Roxana Baldetti guarda silencio sobre declaración de probidad" [Roxana Baldetti remains silent on the probity declaration]. El Periódico (in Spanish). Archived from the original on January 4, 2014. Retrieved January 4, 2014.
  24. ^ Peréz, Sonia (2020-08-12). "Guatemala: Fiscalía hace detenciones por sobornos en aduanas" [Guatemala: Prosecutor's Office makes arrests for customs bribery] (in Spanish). Associated Press. Retrieved 2023-11-29.
  25. ^ Malkin, Elisabeth (May 10, 2015). "Roxana Baldetti's Resignation as Vice President Shadows Guatemala Politics". New York Times. Retrieved 24 August 2015.
  26. ^ a b "Guatemala: ex-Vice-President Baldetti held on fraud charges". BBC News. 21 August 2015. Retrieved 21 August 2015.
  27. ^ "Guatemala prosecutors seek to impeach president after ex-VP's arrest". Reuters. 21 August 2015. Retrieved 21 August 2015.
  28. ^ Michael D McDonald (21 August 2015). "Ex-Guatemala Vice President Baldetti Arrested in Tax Fraud Probe". Bloomberg. Retrieved 21 August 2015.
  29. ^ "Voz de Baldetti en escuchas en audiencia de expresidente" [Baldetti's voice is heard at the former president's hearing] (in Spanish). La Hora. 2015-09-04. Retrieved 2023-11-29.
  30. ^ "International News: Latest Headlines, Video and Photographs from Around the World -- People, Places, Crisis, Conflict, Culture, Change, Analysis and Trends". ABC News. Retrieved 10 October 2018.
  31. ^ "Former Guatemala leader to face trial". BBC News. 28 October 2017. Retrieved 10 October 2018.
  32. ^ Asmann, Parker (2018-10-09). "Former Guatemala VP Sentenced to Jail Time on Corruption Charges". InSight Crime. Retrieved 2023-11-29.
  33. ^ Mendoza, Michelle (18 January 2022). "Comienza juicio contra el expresidente Otto Pérez Molina y la exvicepresidenta Roxana Baldetti en Guatemala". CNN en Español.
  34. ^ Pitán, Edwin; García, Oscar (2023-03-13). "Roxana Baldetti recibe autorización de jueza para salir de la cárcel y recibir tratamiento médico, que será en su casa" [Roxana Baldetti receives authorization from the judge to leave prison and receive medical treatment, which will be at home] (in Spanish). Prensa Libre. Retrieved 2023-11-29.
  35. ^ World Digest (October 10, 2018). "Guatemalan ex-vice president sentenced in graft case". Washington Post.
  36. ^ Asmann, Parker (2017-02-24). "US Indicts Fmr Guatemala VP, Fmr Interior Minister on Drug Charges". InSight Crime. Retrieved 2023-11-29.
[edit]
Political offices
Preceded by Vice President of Guatemala
2012–2015 		Succeeded by
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