Colombia’s Supreme Court removed the magistrates who were investigating congressmen’s alleged corruption from the case after the testimony of the main suspect was leaked.
In a press statement, the court condemned the leaking of the testimony of the former director of disaster management unit UNGRD to television network Caracol.
“Colombia’s finance minister ordered bribes to grease hands in Congress”
The court said that it will ask the relevant authorities to open a criminal investigation into the leak.
This type of events may affect the normal and efficient development of the investigation, which has a high degree of complexity and national relevance.
Criminal Chamber of the Supreme Court
Meanwhile, the president of the Supreme Court’s criminal chamber, Misael Rodriguez, will assume the investigations into lawmakers who have been accused of embezzling UNGRD funds.
The video that was leaked to Caracol contained the testimony that former UNGRD director Olmedo Lopez gave to magistrate Hector Alarcon about the alleged involvement of House Representative Wadith Mazur (Conservative Party) in the corruption scandal.
Magistrate Francisco Farfan was removed from the investigations against Senator Ivan Name (Green Alliance) and House Representative Andres Calle (Liberal Party).
The Prosecutor General’s Office also responded to the video in which Lopez claimed that the government of President Gustavo Petro ordered him to bribe lawmakers.
In a statement, the prosecution said that it will reveal the findings of the investigations against Lopez, former UNGRD deputy director Sneyder Pinilla and contractor Luis Eduardo Lopez at their indictment hearing on July 25.
Last week, the prosecution asked the court to open criminal investigations against nine congressmen because of their alleged involvement in the UNGRD scandal.
Colombia’s prosecution adds 9 congressmen to corruption investigation
The Prosecutor General’s Office has so far not revealed any details of the alleged evidence against the congressional suspects in the corruption scandal.