Colombia’s Prosecutor General’s Office announced Friday that it will open formal investigations into Horacio Serpa and Juan Carlos Abadia, governors of the Santander and Valle del Cauca departments, for allegedly intervening in the upcoming presidential elections, reports Colombian media.
Colombian law prohibits officials from commenting on politics during election periods.
The investigation into Abadia relates to a meeting he allegedly hosted on February 20, attended by 21 Valle department mayors and Conservative presidential hopeful Andres Felipe Arias, according to El Espectador.
According to reports, the charges against Serpa relate to an article supposedly authored by the Santander official, in which he indicates a preference for a particular presidential candidate.
These investigation follows claims made on Wednesday by Abadia’s father, ex-congressman Carlos Abadia, that his son had been been instructed by Colombian President Alvaro Uribe to support the campaign of presidential pre-candidate for the Conservative party, Andres Felipe Arias.
A disciplinary investigation will be conducted into both allegations by the president of the National Control Commission and Electoral Affairs, Maria Eugenia Carreño.
