A magistrate in Colombia’s highest administrative court declared that controversial Inspector General Alejandro Ordoñez could have his mandate nullified, Colombian media reported on Thursday.
Alberto Yepes, a magistrate in Colombia’s Council of State — the nation’s highest administrative court — cited six reasons that could get Inspector General Alejandro Ordoñez removed from his post.
The coming days will consist of a debate among members of the Council of State on whether or not the arguments have the power to nullify his term, according to television station CM&.
Yepes claims that the 2012 re-election of Inspector General Alejandro Ordoñez was illegal, and presented evidence to Colombia’s W Radio. Ordoñez’s term is slated to last until 2016. There was controversy at the time of his re-election, where it was also questioned whether the position of Inspector General was even allowed to be re-elected.
MORE: Reelection of Colombia’s Inspector General receives more criticism
Some of the main reasons to remove Ordoñez from office include the fact that the law does not say whether or not an inspector general can be re-elected, and questions on whether the Supreme Court and Senate went through the proper steps to put Ordoñez in charge of the position in the first place.
The lawyers who opened the case, Rodrigo Uprimny, Jose Leonardo Bueno, and Carlos Mario Isaza, said that there were many faults in the re-election of Ordoñez. Uprimny stated in an interview with news magazine Semana, “The transparency in the method of a functionary’s election, and the impossibility of the re-election of leaders of watchdog organizations is important, because [otherwise] it undermines the constitution.”
Responsible for the political death of hundreds of elected politicians, Ordoñez has received both praise and harsh criticism — such as being compared to a Nazi — for his actions as Inspector General; a position he has held since 2008.
MORE: Colombia’s Inspector general using ‘Nazi methods’ against gays: Magistrate
Most notably, he has banned Mayor of Bogota Gustavo Petro, ex-Senator Piedad Cordoba, and ex-Minister of Agriculture Andres Felipe Arias from office.
Sources
- Ponencia avala anular reelección de Alejandro Ordóñez como Procurador General (CM&)
- “La reelección del procurador fue irregular” (Semana)
- Estos son los argumentos de la ponencia que tumbaría reelección de Alejandro Ordóñez (W Radio)