Former Colombian Official Exposes Bribery Scheme Involving High-Ranking Government Officials, Including President Gustavo Petro.

In a bombshell revelation on Friday, a former official in Colombia confessed that he used money from the state National Unit for Disaster Risk Management (UNGRD) to pay bribes to several high-ranking officials. The purpose of these bribes was to ensure the approval of social reforms presented by the government in Congress. The complaint was made by Snyder Pinilla, who served as deputy director of UNGRD, and has caused a stir in the country as it implicates several top officials and affects the government of President Gustavo Petro.

Pinilla revealed in an interview with Semana magazine that he used UNGRD funds to pay Senator Iván Name 3,000 million pesos and House Representative Andrés Calle 1,000 million pesos in cash to support health, pension, and labor reforms. This money was supposed to come from a contractor who was tasked with purchasing tanker trucks for water supply in La Guajira, but the project failed due to technical issues. Pinilla also accused other officials, including the former director of UNGRD, the Minister of Interior, and an advisor for the Regions.

The Presidency of Colombia responded by issuing a statement reiterating its zero tolerance for corruption and ordering an investigation into the misuse of public resources with support from the United States Embassy. Pinilla provided more details about how the bribes were delivered, including the involvement of a high advisor acting as a messenger for Senator Name. Despite denials from Name and Calle, Pinilla’s defense attorney stated that he is willing to return any embezzled funds.

Following Pinilla’s revelations, calls were made for Sandra Ortiz’s resignation as advisor for regions and further investigations into corruption allegations against her. Senator Name and his fellow accused officials continue to deny these allegations while defending their integrity in public service. Investigations are ongoing to uncover the full extent of this corruption scandal and hold those responsible accountable for their actions.

This scandal has brought attention once again to Colombia’s ongoing struggle with corruption which has been affecting different sectors such as politics, business and even non-profit organizations.

It is important that this issue is taken seriously by all parties involved and that justice is served swiftly. Corruption undermines trust in institutions and hinders progress towards sustainable development goals such as poverty reduction or human rights protection.

As journalists we will continue reporting on this story closely until justice is served and those responsible are held accountable for their actions.