Bogota Mayor Samuel Moreno denied any wrongdoings Tuesday after being suspended by the country’s Inspector General for three months for alleged involvement in fraudulently awarding public works projects.
In a press conference held five hours after the initial planning, the mayor stressed he was “honest, honorable and adherent to the rule of law,” local media reported.
Moreno said he was never in charge of the granting of projects to the disgraced Nule Group which according to the Prosecutor General’s Office was done corruptly and has led to criminal investigations against him, his brother Senator Ivan Moreno, other Bogota officials and the former Minister of Transport. According to the mayor, it was his former party member Luis Eduardo Garzon who, in the period that is being investigated, was in charge of awarding public works contracts.
Moreno said that he had not been officially notified about his suspension and found out through the media. The mayor also refused to resign amid the increasing legal pressure and the lowest approval rating of all public officials in Colombia.
Inspector General Alejandro Ordoñez made the decision Tuesday morning to suspend the mayor of the capital city because of irregularities he discovered while investigating the corruption scandal.