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C O N F I D E N T I A L LIMA 001689 
 
NOFORN 
SIPDIS 
FOR IO/MPR - MATT GLOCKNER, IO/MPR - BRIAN HACKETT, USUN/MR - BRUCE RASHKOW, AND USUN/MR - CHERITH NORMAN 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 2019/12/03 
TAGS: AORC UN PREL AMGT PE
SUBJECT: Potential Peruvian OIOS Candidate 
 
REF: STATE 117720 
 
CLASSIFIED BY: James D. Nealon, Deputy Chief of Mission; REASON: 
1.4(B), (D) 
 
¶1.  (C) Genaro Matute is known to the Embassy from his time as 
Peru's Comptroller General (CG - rough equivalent of a 
government-wide Inspector General) from October 2001 to October 
2008, who served during two successive administrations (Toledo and 
Garcia).   He is seen as having done a credible job in a difficult 
environment in which political influence in state institutions and 
public spending decisions is a problem.  The USG, particularly 
USAID, worked closely with Matute in designing and establishing the 
anti-corruption pillar of Peru's MCC Threshold Program, but his 
term ended before the program's implementation began.  Toward the 
end of his tenure as CG, some critical media reports raised 
questions regarding Matute's integrity, and accused him of allowing 
his wife to use an official vehicle for personal purposes. 
Nevertheless, Matute retained favor with the GOP and was appointed 
in August 2009 to the head of the Prime Minister's Anti-Corruption 
Unit. 
 
 
 
¶2.  (C) The following are responses keyed to the questions raised 
in para 8 of reftel: 
 
 
 
- Matute's expertise within the accountability/oversight community 
is relatively extensive, including seven years as Peru's CG.  He 
does not have experience directly related to the UN. 
 
 
 
- Matute's reputation of impartiality and professionalism within 
the country is strong. 
 
 
 
- Our GOP contacts are unaware Matute is being considered as a 
candidate for the OIOS position, and have no official view as to 
his fitness to serve at the UN.  When queried, MFA contacts echoed 
the view of Matute as an upstanding public servant with no likely 
skeletons who performed capably for seven years as Peru's  CG. 
 
 
 
- Matute was well-regarded by his staff as a serious, disciplined 
and even-handed leader.  His successor has echoed this view while 
suggesting that Matute's management was characterized by a degree 
of disorganization, incomplete record-keeping and lack of planning 
for a future.  For example, the Comptroller's office has very 
little presence outside of Lima, notwithstanding a government-led 
decentralization policy that has resulted in increasing public 
decision-making and budgetary authority being transferred to the 
sub-national level.  (This criticism may have a political rather 
than a purely substantive or objective connotation.) 
 
 
 
- Matute is known for "speaking truth to power" and also 
maintaining management's trust, respect, confidence, and 
cooperation.  His subsequent appointment as head of the PM's 
Anti-Corruption Unit underscores this latter point. 
 
 
 
- We are unaware of information that would disqualify Matute from 
serving as head of the OIOS. 
 
 
 
- We will forward Matute's CV separately to Peru desk office, 
IO/MPR and USUN/MR. 
 
¶3.  (C) We believe Matute could make a capable UN manager, and we 
support his being considered as a candidate for the UN OIOS 
position.   That said, it is unclear that his experience and 
accomplishments to date have prepared him for a challenge of this 
magnitude. 
MCKINLEY