Víctor Manuel Alejandro Martínez Ruiz (born January 19, 1982) is a

Guatemala Guatemala ( ; ), officially the Republic of Guatemala ( es, República de Guatemala, links=no), is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico; to the northeast by Belize and the Caribbean; to the east by H ...

n economist and politician who served as the Minister of Public Finance from September 2018 to January 2020. He currently is the First Councilor of Guatemala City.

Early years

He studied Business Administration with a specialization in Finance from the School of Economic Sciences of the

Francisco Marroquín University Francisco is the Spanish and Portuguese form of the masculine given name ''Franciscus''. Nicknames In Spanish, people with the name Francisco are sometimes nicknamed "Paco". San Francisco de Asís was known as ''Pater Comunitatis'' (father of ...

(UFM) is graduated ''Cum laude''. In 2003 he began his work as financial manager of several private real estate, spare parts and agro-industrial companies.

Career

In 2002 he directed the executive part of the Foundation for Integral Development (FUDI in Spanish). He has served as a professor of political philosophy and general administration in some universities in the country. Víctor Martínez started working in the Municipality of

as a Financial consultant in 2006, in the 2011 elections he was elected to the position of second councilor for the 2012-2016 term and won another term from 2016 to 2020. He was head of the directorates of trusts for urban planning, director of the boards of directors of the Municipal Transport Company, Municipal Water Company and the Transport and Transit Regulatory Entity.

Government of Jimmy Morales

In January 2016 he was integrated into Jimmy Morales' cabinet as Deputy Minister of Financial Administration for that he had to request permission in Municipality of Guatemala. After the resignation of

Julio Héctor Estrada Julio Héctor Estrada Domínguez (born 22 June 1974) is a Guatemalan politician and economist. He served as Guatemala's Minister of Finance A finance minister is an executive or cabinet position in charge of one or more of government finances ...

, Martínez was appointed as Guatemala's Minister of Finance on September 13, 2018. When he was sworn in, he assured that he would work for the Guatemalan Parliament to approve the State budget for 2019, in addition to forming the General Directorate of Acquisitions and a registry of State suppliers. During his administration, the problem occurred over the purchase of 2 planes from the

Argentine government The government of Argentina, within the framework of a federal system, is a presidential representative democratic republic. The President of Argentina is both head of state and head of government. Executive power is exercised by the President. ...

for the Guatemalan Air Forces, even President

Morales Morales is a Spanish surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Alfredo Morales (born 1990), American footballer * Alvaro Morales (disambiguation), several people * Amado Morales (born 1947), Puerto Rican javelin thrower * Bartolomé Mo ...

had gone to Argentina to meet with President

Macri Macri or Macrì is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: *Antonio Macrì (ca. 1902 – 1975), Italian leader of the 'Ndrangheta *Dumitru Macri (born 1931), Romanian footballer * Federica Macrì (born 1990), Italian artistic gymnast *F ...

. A problem arose because the purchase was intended to be made through an agreement between the two countries, but opponents of the government assured that this was illegal. Martínez Ruiz pointed out that Guatemala does not have the necessary financial resources for this acquisition, however, President Morales and Minister Ralda insisted. Finally the purchase did not materialize.

Legal issues

On June 14, 2019 the Anti-Impunity Prosecutor's office filed a case against the municipal council, just two days before the elections. The accusation was because supposedly from their position in the city council they tried to campaign in favor of the municipal government party. After leaving his position as minister, he appeared on January 16, 2020, in the court in charge of the case.

References

Living people Finance ministers of Guatemala Guatemalan economists Government ministers of Guatemala 1982 births Unionist Party (Guatemala) politicians {{Guatemala-bio-stub People from Guatemala City 21st-century Guatemalan politicians