A Colombian institute for rural development (Incoder) denounced what it calls the “land cartel,” the practice of stealing the lands from the nation and giving it to the rich.
According to Incoder’s written complaint a “good part of the barren land, reserved for poor farmers, was given to rich people in the department of Antioquia.”
The Inspector General has carried out an investigation lasting more than three years into the practice.
The minister of agriculture and rural development, Juan Camilo Restrepo Salazar, said that the fraudulent decisions to award these properties will be revoked, according to newspaper El Colombiano.
“Just as there were debris from violence, there is also indelicate handling of the awarding of land to those who don’t need it,” said Salazar adding, “These lands belong to the farmers of Colombia and not to some rich and opulent who don’t need it.”