Colombia’s interior and justice minister will meet with the director of prison authority INPEC to discuss reforming the scandal-hit penitentiary system.
Newspaper El Tiempo reported Wednesday that Minister German Vargas Lleras and INPEC head Gustavo Adolfo Ricaurte arranged the meeting following damaging revelations in recent weeks of lavish parties being thrown by jailed politicians.
“The Colombian prison system should be reformed because it is steeped in corruption,” said Vargas Lleras.
The minister told W Radio Wednesday that Congress will present a penal code reform bill in March that will make it possible for the president to merge ministries and restructure government-related entities such as the penal system.
“We hope that Congress will authorize quickly the restructuring of INPEC, one of the most hard-to-manage entities in the country,” Vargas told El Tiempo.
He noted that there are 1,200 unionized workers of INPEC who cannot be easily removed.
The minister replaced the director of the La Picota prison in Bogota on Tuesday after reports were released of events held by politicians jailed for links with the paramilitaries.
According to El Tiempo the most recent incident was a birthday party held for former Senator Juan Carlos Marinez. The jailed politician invited political cronies and a band for the celebration.