Colombia’s inspector general has begun oral proceedings against Bogota politicians who are accused of fraudulently awarding public works contracts.
Inspector General Alejandro Ordoñez believes that he has collected enough evidence in the Bogota corruption case to continue the investigation through public hearings, reports Caracol Monday.
The investigations follow the publication of a tape recording last November that implicated Bogota Mayor Samuel Moreno, his senator brother Ivan Moreno, ex-congressman German Olano, and the Bogota comptroller Miguel Angel Moralesrussi.
Mayor Moreno’s assets were seized late last year after the tapes seemingly revealed the fraudulent awarding of public works contracts to the disgraced Nule Group.
Explaining the decision to embark on oral proceedings, Ordoñez stated that such hearings are effective because the case could be settled within eight days, whereas an ordinary court proceeding could take four or five years.
He said that the oral process is a tool provided by the law to enable a speedy resolution to the case.