The Green Party paid former Medellin mayor $27,000 to be the running mate of Antanas Mockus, who lost the June presidential elections to Juan Manuel Santos, the National Electoral Council (CNE) says.
According to newscast CM&, the electoral watchdog condemned the payment as “a reprehensible political practice that maintained nepotism and corruption.”
After failing to receive a significant number of seats in the March congressional elections with his own party, Fajardo joined the Green Party and became the running mate of Antanas Mockus in April.
In the financial records of the party, the CNE found a contract wherein Fajardo commits to act as the party’s running mate between April 12 and May 28, two days before the first round elections, CM& reported.
“To sell the exercise of rights given to candidates by law is a reprehensible political practice,” the newscast quoted the September 29 ruling of the electoral watchdog.
One of the key issues of Fajardo as an independent and later as Mockus’ running mate was to fight nepotism and corruption in Colombian politics.