Recent reports indicate that Colombia’s Finance Minister, Ricardo Bonilla, and several other officials are under investigation for their involvement in a significant corruption scandal. The allegations involve ordering bribes for members of Congress to facilitate the embezzlement of funds from the country’s disaster management unit, UNGRD. This scandal is reported to have cost the agency over $60 million since 2022.
The investigation, led by Colombia’s Prosecutor General’s Office, includes former Interior Minister Luis Fernando Velasco, former regional affairs chief Sandra Ortiz, and former planning department director Carlos Ramon Gonzalez. These individuals have been accused of orchestrating the payment of bribes, as revealed in leaked court testimonies by Olmedo Lopez, the former director of the UNGRD, and his deputy, Sneyder Pinilla. Both Lopez and Pinilla have admitted their involvement and are seeking immunity in exchange for their cooperation.
This scandal also implicates nine congressmen, who are suspected of participating in the embezzlement scheme. The Supreme Court is currently handling the investigations concerning these lawmakers due to constitutional restrictions on the Prosecutor General’s Office investigating members of Congress directly.
The implications of this scandal are far-reaching, affecting multiple high-profile figures within President Gustavo Petro’s administration and highlighting systemic corruption issues within the country’s disaster management operations (Colombia News | Colombia Reports) (Colombia News | Colombia Reports).
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