After his appointment last November, the president defended Carrizales against critics who said he didn’t have the experience for the job. “Do you know what’s more important to me than experience? Honesty,” he said at a press conference. “There are people with a lot of experience and who have even graduated from foreign universities and have doctorates, but they are dishonest.”

ASEA declined to comment on this story.

Daniel Wolfe contributed to this story.

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