The Public Ministry announced that the mayors of San Juan de Nepomuceno, Bolívar, Wilfrido Alfonso Romero Vergara, and of Timaná, Huila, Marco Adrián Artunduaga could return however, the mayor of Medellín, Daniel Quintero, remains suspended

The Public Ministry announced that the mayors of San Juan de Nepomuceno, Bolívar, Wilfrido Alfonso Romero Vergara, and Timaná, Huila, Marco Adrián Artunduaga could return to their positions, however, the mayor of Medellín, Daniel Quintero, remains suspended. Attorney Margarita Cabello (Colprensa -Sergio Acero)

This Tuesday, May 31, the Attorney General’s Office announced that the mayors of San Juan de Nepomuceno, Bolívar, Wilfrido Alfonso Romero Vergara, and of Timaná, Huila, Marco Adrián Artunduaga, will be able to continue with their public functions, after lifted the provisional suspension that the control body had imposed on them for their alleged participation in politics in the middle of the presidential campaign in Colombia.

The Public Ministry indicated that despite adopting this decision, which was considered as a balancing action against the suspension of the mayor of Medellín, Daniel Quintero, the leaders would continue to be linked to the disciplinary investigation for their alleged support for the candidate of the Team for Colombia, Federico Gutiérrez.

“When analyzing the advisability of maintaining the provisional suspension of the two officials, it was concluded that it was necessary to lift the measure, since the decision was based on an alleged participation in political activities in favor of the then presidential candidate Gutiérrez Zuluaga, who is no longer in the electoral contest and therefore, the substantial budgets to maintain the measure due to a possible repetition of the fault they disappeared”, indicated the control body.

The two leaders had expressed their support for the former mayor of Medellín and candidate for the right-wing alliance, who did not reach enough votes to contest the second presidential round against the opposition leader and candidate of the Historical Pact, Gustavo Petro, in the middle of an event organized by the National Federation of Municipalities that took place in Cartagena, on April 7th.

In several videos, the leaders of San Juan de Nepomuceno and Timaná are seen receiving with applause the candidate who was emerging as the most likely to contest the presidency against the left-wing senator, while the moment in which Wilfrido Alfonso Romero was recorded Vergara offers 40,000 votes to members of Federico Gutiérrez’s campaign.

“For the Public Ministry, The provisional suspension of the two mayors is appropriate to avoid a possible repetition of the offense, since the evidence in the film records shows that, apparently, they participated in activities of political parties or movements, behavior that is prohibited given their condition of public servants, and with this they were able to break the principles of equality and transparency that support the elections”, the control body said on that occasion.

In turn , the Public Ministry confirmed that a disciplinary investigation was being opened against the local leaders of María La Baja, Raquel Victoria Sierra Cassini; Cicuco, José Nicolás Ramos Pastrana; Santa Rosa de Lima, Mario José Rodríguez Hernandez; Villanueva, Edwin Puerta Orozco; and Arenal, Eugenio Lobo Quiñónez, municipalities located in the department of Bolívar.

The Attorney General of the Nation, Margarita Cabello Blanco, has reiterated “that local leaders have to understand, and they cannot be unaware that they are no longer ruling for their party or political movement, but rather are at the service of the citizenry”, however, the control body lifted the suspension of the leaders with the exception of the mayor of Medellín, Daniel Quintero, who The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) referred his case.

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