A court in Caldas on Tuesday nullified last year’s election of the central Colombian department’s governor.
The elections were nullified after the court found that the winner, current Governor Guido Echeverri, had benefited from the fact his wife at the time of elections was housing secretary in the department capital Manizales.
Echeverri has always denied having benefited from his wife’s government position, claiming she did not approve the allocation of any funds in the period before the elections.
According to Colombian electoral law, no government institution may approve any contracts right before and after elections to avoid electoral fraud.
Weekly Semana reported that Echeverri is likely to appeal the court’s decision before the State Council, the highest administrative court in Colombia.