The Office of the Attorney General of the Nation issued a statement of charges against the former mayors of Santa Marta, Carlos Eduardo Caicedo Omar (2012-2015), and Rafael Alejandro Martínez (2016-2019) for alleged irregularities in the construction of the Gaira Coliseum.
Others affected by the statement of objections are Sánder Alfonso Rodríguez Peña (2016 – 2018), supervisor of the contract and who served as manager of the city’s Infrastructure, and Álvaro García Parra, legal representative of the AGP Audit Office.
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The Attorney General’s Office is investigating them because apparently the works were awarded despite the fact that the term established in the previous studies did not conform to the real times that the works would take, as well as the respective licenses were not available, a situation that caused the signed five amendments that increased the time and cost, which went from $2,682 million to a final value of $4,022 million.
According to the report technical report rendered by the National Directorate of Special Investigations of the Attorney General’s Office, the planning was not coherent or consistent with the real scope of the project and the work to be carried out (total demolition and new construction), and consequently “The term was unfeasible, an aspect that determined the need to subsequently request extensions and additions, infringing the constitutional, legal and regulatory provisions,” said the control body.
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The Public Ministry also investigates apparent irregularities in the signing of the other number 3, subscribed for the foundation of the grandstand and make structural adjustments, since these works had apparently already been carried out. Likewise, partial payments for works not yet begun would have been made.
For those facts, the Prosecutor’s Office provisionally qualified the conduct of Carlos Caicedo Omar and Sánder Alfonso Rodríguez Peña as a very serious fault committed with very serious fault, and for the ex-mayor Rafael Martínez as a serious fault by way of serious negligence. To Alvaro Garcia Parra, individual who exercised the function of controller, charges were filed against him for an apparent very serious misconduct by way of guilt.