Roxana Baldetti facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Roxana Baldetti
Official portrait, 2012
13th Vice President of Guatemala
In office January 14, 2012 – May 9, 2015
President	Otto Pérez Molina
Preceded by	Rafael Espada
Succeeded by	Alejandro 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 by	Otto Pérez Molina
Succeeded by	Valentín Gramajo
Personal details
Born	Ingrid Roxana Baldetti Elías (1962-05-13) May 13, 1962 (age 63) Guatemala City Guatemala
Political party	Patriotic Party
Spouse	Mariano Paz
Children	Luis Pedro Paz Baldetti Mario Paz Baldetti
Residence	Guatemala City
Alma mater	Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala
Website	(2010 archive)

Ingrid Roxana Baldetti Elías (born May 13, 1962) is a Guatemalan politician. She made history as the first woman to serve as Vice President of Guatemala. She held this important role from 2012 until 2015. Later, she faced legal issues related to a case about government corruption.

Early Life and Education

Roxana Baldetti was born in Guatemala City, the capital of Guatemala. She grew up in a traditional Catholic family. She went to primary school at Colegio Monte Carmelo. She then became a primary education teacher after studying at El Sagrado Corazón de Jesús. Later, she earned a bachelor's degree in Journalism from the University of San Carlos of Guatemala.

Career in Journalism and Politics

Roxana Baldetti first worked as a substitute teacher in elementary schools. After that, she started her career in journalism. She worked on a news program called Aquí el Mundo. She also helped start TV Noticias and was a reporter for Univisión's show Primer Impacto from Guatemala.

In the 1990s, she worked for the government. President Jorge Serrano Elías appointed her to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. She served as the Press Secretary, which means she handled news and information for the government. She was accused of controlling what the media reported to favor the president, but she said this was not true. During this time, she also worked with the United Nations to support women's rights in Guatemala.

She left the Press Office in 1994. She was accused of taking equipment from the office. However, the case was later dropped because there wasn't enough evidence.

Moving into Politics

After her time in journalism, Baldetti started her own advertising company. She also taught classes on public relations and finished her journalism degree. In 2000, she helped create the Patriot Party (PP) with Otto Pérez Molina. She had met him when they both worked for President Serrano.

She was elected to the Congress of Guatemala. She represented the country as a whole, not just one specific area. From 2007, she led her party's group in Congress. In 2009, she became the main leader of the Patriot Party and its leader in Congress.

Before the 2011 Guatemalan general election, she resigned from Congress. This was required by law because she was running for Vice President with Otto Pérez Molina. They promised to fight corruption if they were elected. They won the election in November, and Roxana Baldetti became Guatemala's first female Vice President. They officially started their roles on January 14, 2012.

Besides her government work, she also had some businesses. She owned a company that made beauty products, and she had a spa and a chain of hair salons.

Public Scrutiny and Resignation

In 2013, a Guatemalan newspaper called El Periódico published an article about Roxana Baldetti. The article raised questions about her wealth. It mentioned her buying expensive homes and luxury items, and traveling often. People wondered if her income from her government salary could explain all these purchases.

The newspaper's editor, José Rubén Zamora, faced legal action because of the article. An organization that supports press freedom, the Inter American Press Association, said this action was like trying to stop the news from being reported. Baldetti denied the accusations in the article. She said she had worked hard for everything she owned.

Leaving Office and Legal Challenges

Roxana Baldetti resigned from her position as Vice President on May 8, 2015. This happened after a special anti-corruption investigation, supported by the United Nations, began looking into a bribery scheme. This scheme was known as La Línea (The Line). It involved government officials taking bribes to lower the taxes that businesses had to pay when importing goods.

She was arrested on August 21, 2015, while she was in the hospital. During the court proceedings, recordings of phone calls were played. In these calls, people involved in the case seemed to refer to her using nicknames like "the R" or "the Lady."

Later, a judge ordered Baldetti, former President Pérez, and many other people to stand trial. They faced charges related to the bribery scheme. On October 9, 2018, she was found responsible in a case about government contracts. She also faced another trial related to the La Línea case in 2022.

Personal Life

In 1987, Roxana Baldetti married Mariano Paz. He was a farmer from San Marcos who had a business selling agricultural products. They have two sons named Luis Pedro and Mario.

There were some reports that Jorge Serrano Elías, a former president, was her uncle. However, other sources disagreed with this. Roxana Baldetti herself said in a radio interview that she never claimed to be related to him.

See also

In Spanish: Roxana Baldetti para niños