Colombia’s top anti-corruption official released devastating statistics on judicial impunity in corruption investigations.
In a press conference, Transparency Secretary Andres Irraga said that prosecution has received 57,582 reports on crimes associated with political corruption since 2010.
In 94% of these cases, these investigations have yet to result in convictions.
Arrests were made in only 10.3% of the corruption investigations.
More than 77% of the investigations have yet to move beyond the preliminary stage, according to the President’s Office.
The situation apparently got worse after former Prosecutor Nestor Humberto Martinez took office in 2016.
Between that year and 2022, cases that had made it to court dropped from 5,447 to 2,301.
Corruption cases in court
Last year, the prosecution made only 22 arrests on corruption charges compared to 362 in 2016.
Arrests made in corruption cases
Both Martinez and Prosecutor General Francisco Barbosa have been accused of obstructing corruption investigations into political allies.
Statistics made available by the prosecution showed a general collapse in convictions since 2010.
Colombia’s prosecution all but collapsed, statistics suggest
President Gustavo Petro won last year’s elections with the promise that his government would tackle corruption that has devastated the treasury for decades.
The president’s push to effectively investigate government corruption has led to mayor tensions with Barbosa and Inspector General Margarita Cabello.
Both the prosecutor general and the inspector general are political allies of former President Ivan Duque, whose 2018 election was admittedly supported by a major money launderer from the Caribbean region.