Colombia’s Prosecutor General’s Office asked the Supreme Court to investigate nine congressmen for their alleged involvement in a corruption scandal.
The lawmakers would have conspired to embezzle funds with former directors of disaster management agency UNGRD.
According to Comptroller General Carlos Mario Zuluaga, corruption cost the UNGRD at least $60 million since 2022.
Corruption cost Colombia’s disaster management agency at least $60M: comptroller
The prosecution has been investigating former UNGRD directors Olmedo Lopez and Sneyder Pinilla over their admitted involvement in corruption since February.
It was during these investigations that prosecutors found evidence suggesting that the congressmen were involved in the UNGRD bosses alleged criminal activity.
Because the constitution bars the prosecution from investigating members of Congress, the prosecution forwarded its preliminary findings to the Supreme Court.
Among the suspected lawmakers are the outgoing president of the senate, Ivan Name, and the outgoing president of the House of Representatives, Andres David Calle.
Suspected lawmakers
- Andres David Calle (Liberal Party)
- Juan Pablo Gallo (Liberal Party)
- Julian Peinado (Liberal Party)
- Ivan Name (Green Alliance)
- Juan DIego Muñoz (Green Alliance)
- Wadith Alberto Manzur (Conservative Party)
- Liliana Esther Bitar (Conservative Party)
- Julio Elias Chagui (U Party)
- Karen Astrith Manrique (victims)
The prosecution will continue its investigations into the corruption practices of Lopez and Pinilla, and businessman Luis Eduardo Lopez, whose companies appear to have benefitted from the corruption.
These three suspects asked the prosecution for immunity in exchange for information that would allow the prosecution to dismantle the criminal organization behind the corruption in the UNGRD.
The comptroller general said last month that some 20 officials appear to have been involved in granting contracts to companies without monitoring what happened with the money.
The UNGRD scandal was the first major corruption scandal that was revealed during the term of President Gustavo Petro, who has vowed to combat corruption in government.
