The Director of the Cali Registry Office has been removed from his position in response to a corruption scandal that has engulfed the Cali mayoral election.
Hollman Ibañez was removed after he was accused of corruption by Rodrigo Guerrero, the mayoral candidate who had been taken off the ballot for allegedly collecting fraudulent signatures.
According to Caracol Radio, unofficial sources have also suggested Ibañez influenced the decision not to endorse the petitions of Guerrero and fellow candidate Susana Correa.
However, Ibañez will now take on a new role as Director of the National Civil Registrar. He will be replaced in Cali by Dr. Jose Ignacio Cordoba Delgado.
Registrar General Ariel Sanchez also announced 19 further changes to electoral officials throughout the department of Valle del Cauca in an attempt to reassure candidates and the electorate that corruption is being tackled.
Guerrero and Correa were removed from the ballots after it was claimed they collected thousands of fraudulent signatures petitioning for them to stand as candidates. However, both candidates claim they were asked for bribes to resolve their problems and accuse officials behind the decision of corruption.
On Wednesday, RCN Radio reported a third candidate in the mayoral race said he was asked for a bribe to ensure he won the election.
Edinson Ruiz, candidate for the controversial Partido de Intergracion Nacional (PIN), said a man approached him in a Bogota shopping mall a few days ago and said he could arrange for him to win the elections if he paid $169,000.
The man, who said his name was Juan Pablo Quiñones, told Ruiz he was part of national network for the Partido de la U. that had arranged for Juan Manuel Santos to win the presidential elections.
Ruiz said, “he told me they had already fixed all of Valle del Cauca with Senator Dilian Francisca Toro, with whom they had a pre-agreement.”
According to Ruiz, he did not report the incident immediately because he did not take the man seriously.
He added he did not believe that Senator Toro had done business with the man.