After the XIX Plenary Assembly of the Conference of Ministers of Justice of the Ibero-American countries, held in the city of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, on May 27 and 28, 2015, the process of electing the new Secretary General for the COMJIB and D. Arkel Benítez, Vice Minister of Violence and Crime Prevention of the Ministry of the Interior of Guatemala, was elected General Secretary of COMJIB and therefore also Secretary General of IberRed, as stipulated in provision 12 of the IberRed Regulations. Both appointments are effective as of July 1 for a period of four years.
Mr. Arkel Benítez holds a degree in Legal and Social Sciences, Lawyer and Notary from the University of San Carlos of Guatemala. Thanks to his training and experience, he is also an expert in Criminal and Procedural Law and already has extensive experience leading public responsibilities.
Until his election as head of COMJIB he was Vice Minister of Violence and Crime Prevention of the Ministry of the Interior in Guatemala since 2012. He also previously served as Deputy Minister of Support for the Justice Sector of the Ministry of the Interior, as well as Legal Counsel of the Attorney General of the Nation in different areas from 2008 to the position of Vice Minister of Support.
Mr. Arkel Benítez, has also maintained an intense activity in the field of university teaching, being full professor of different subjects, such as General Theory of the State and Criminal Law in various universities. Activity that has also combined with legal research collaborating in national and international awards and congresses.
His international development has also been very intense as a member of different official delegations at international summits, mainly focused on prevention and cooperation against crime.
Throughout the exercise that now begins for the COMJIB, it will give continuity to the lines of work, fundamentally those corresponding to the fight against transnational crime and access to justice at the interregional level and will promote new strategic alliances with other regional organizations and national institutions. .
These next four years will also continue and promote the implementation of cooperation programs and projects, through the creation of working groups composed of several countries, which will sometimes act as transferers of good practices and on other occasions as recipients, sharing experiences and initiating strategies to improve justice, based on models of south-south cooperation and triangular cooperation.