Colombian Inspector General (IG) Alejandro Ordoñez announced Thursday that corruption has infiltrated the government’s judicial branch, with over 100 Colombian judges to be investigated for corrupt practices.
Speaking at the Bogota Forum on Judicial Transparency, Ordoñez said that in the decisions of many judges there are “seeds of corruption” that are have “giant implications” for the state and its assets.
Ordoñez gave the example of judges granting settlements to plaintiffs that are between 12 and 150 times the standard value of such pay-outs.
The IG said his office had received more than 100 complaints about judges’ conduct and noted that there are gaps in the regulation of Colombia’s judicial system.
Ordoñez said that one of the manifestations of judicial corruption is “judicial activism,” which is when judges make decisions of a dubious but not necessarily illegal nature.
“A society without justice is a society of outlaws… We must make sure [citizens] feel the state exists and can react appropriately to acts of corruption.” Ordoñez said.
“What concerns me is the risk we are running that judicial inefficiency will affect institutional stability,” he added.