Colombia’s Inspector General’s Office (IG) on Wednesday opened an investigation against former Agricultural Minister Arias regarding his alleged role in the AIS subsidies scandal.
The IG opened the disciplinary investigation against ex-Minister Andres Felipe Arias for his alleged involvement in a scandal involving the irregular distribution of agricultural subsidies in the Agro Ingreso Seguro program, reported newspaper El Espectador.
The IG also linked the current Agricultural Minister, Andres Fernandez, to the scandal, as well as launching legal action against 14 other state employees, including both the former and current Vice-Agricultural Ministers.
With this decision the IG intends to establish any faults or omissions that state employees may have made which would have allowed for the improper allocation of budgeted resources through the AIS rural development initiative.
The AIS scandal, which has been raging for several months, arose after it was revealed that both Arias and Fernandez, as well as various other government officials, had allegedly granted government funds to certain companies and affluent Colombian families, when the money was intended for poor farmers.