A agreement between the SAE and the National Land Agency; a ICBF contract with an intervened hospital in Chocó; the alleged intervention of president of Ecopetrol, Ricardo Roain company affairs and use of company aircraft even when on license after the indictment of charges against him for influence peddling; and the laughable execution of Community Paths for Peacethe program with which the Government invested billions of pesos and contracted directly with community action boards and reservations for works for their communities.
EL TIEMPO learned for the first time that these are some of the issues that are the protagonists of the complaints filed by a team appointed by the president-elect, Abelardo De La Espriellato audit contracts and administrative decisions of the outgoing government and bring to justice any suspicion of possible corruption.
After the unprecedented joint suspensionDe la Espriella’s team has sent petition rights and received complaints about more than 170 casesagainst which he began to cross-reference the public information available in the Secop with press reports that reveal some type of alert about the contractual process or the administrative act. Alerts are reviewed by Carlos Sánchez, forensic auditorwho issues a technical concept that is subsequently passed to the legal team, in charge of drafting the criminal complaints or disciplinary complaints and fiscal responsibility before the control entities. So far, according to sources in this process, the authorities have been informed ten cases.
Abelardo de la Espriella in Cúcuta during the regional junction. Photo:@ABDELAESPRIELLA
One of the focuses of the complaints points to the Petro government land purchase policy. The splicing team claims to have documented possible irregularities in an agreement between the Special Assets Society (SAE) and the National Land Agency (ANT)related to the acquisition of properties that, in most cases, are not titled in the name of the State.
According to what people involved in the audits explained to EL TIEMPO, the problem goes beyond a possible asset detriment. They warn that there is a legal uncertainty because properties are being handed over to peasants, despite the fact that many of these properties are still covered by precautionary measures within judicial processes and could return to the hands of their original owners if a judge so decides.
Another file, which is already public knowledge, is related to alleged irregularities in a contractual process of Cenit, a subsidiary of Ecopetrol. The contract, awarded to the firm Gesycobro SAS, exceeded the 21,108 million pesos and, according to the complaint, it would have been awarded above well-known companies in the sector.
An additional complaint questions the actions of the president of Ecopetrol, Ricardo Roafor allegedly having continued participating in boards of directors and using official vehicles and even company aircraft while on leaveafter the imposition of charges against him.
Another issue, revealed by EL TIEMPO, that also escalated to a disciplinary complaint filed by the president-elect’s team was a ICBF contract with an intervened hospital in Chocó to care for children and pregnant mothers with malnutrition. But this newspaper learned that there are more cases related to alleged anomalies in the Invías, the electrification companies and even in contracts of the Legal Vice Presidency which, according to sources, would have been directed.
High sources indicated that several of the complaints come from the same outgoing officialswho, as they explain, are “emancipating” themselves and looking for a way to inform the authorities possible acts of corruption that they witnessed in their respective entities.
Sara Valentina Quevedo Delgado and Juan Sebastián Lombo – Justice and Politics Editorial
