US embassy cable - 05LIMA4933

UNCLAS LIMA 004933 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PHUM, PINR, PGOV, PREL, PE 
SUBJECT: BEATRIZ MERINO SWORN IN AS OMBUDSMAN 
 
REF: LIMA 4265 
 
1.  Former Prime Minister Beatriz Merino was sworn in as the 
new Public Ombudsman on 11/16.  On the very day of her 
swearing in, Merino demonstrated her political clout by 
obtaining assurances from Prime Minister Pedro Pablo 
Kuczynski to countermand proposed budget cuts that would have 
forced the closure of at least nine of the Ombudsman's 
regional offices.  Merino replaces acting Ombudsman Walter 
Alban, who had an extended four-year interim tenure due to 
Congress' difficulty in settling on a permanent replacement 
for Jorge Santistevan, who resigned in 2001 to run for the 
presidency. 
 
2.  Merino's acceptance speech stressed her independence, 
emphasizing that the Ombudsman's Office is an autonomous 
agency and not subservient to the government in power.  She 
said that her top priorities will be promoting ethics among 
public servants to combat fraud and corruption, adding that 
the Ombudsman's most effective weapon is its moral authority. 
 
 
3.  COMMENT:  Merino was a highly popular prime minister, 
with 60 percent-plus approval ratings, and she was elected 
Ombudsman with the strong support of all major political 
parties.  Educated in the U.S. and a long-time legal counsel 
for Procter & Gamble, Merino has cultivated strong ties with 
the Embassy, and we expect to work closely with her in 
promoting human rights and democracy in her new assignment. 
END COMMENT. 
STRUBLE