The former head director and the legal director of the Urban Development Institute (IDU) have been banned from public service for 11 years for taking part in the Bogota public works scandal, various media reported.
The Colombian Inspector General’s Office dismissed and disqualified Liliana Pardo, the ex-director of the IDU, and Inocencio Melendez, the former head of the legal department, due to alleged irregularities occurring between 2007 and 2008.
The official and lawyer have been charged with embezzlement and the fraudulent awarding of public works contracts to the Colombian construction company Nule Group.
According to the newspaper El Heraldo, Melendez was allegedly involved in the contractual process between the Bogota government and the construction firm. The fees agreed upon in the contracts were reportedly inflated, exceeding the legal maximum rates set by the IDU.
Pardo is faulted for not exercising supervision over her legal director, and for avoiding taking an action to correct the irregularities in the contracts.
She and Melendez are currently appealing the inspector general’s decision.