The former Minister of Sports, María Isabel Urrutia, will face charges for the crime of contracting without compliance with legal requirements, according to the Attorney General’s Office. The imputation will be made due to the celebration of 106 contracts for the provision of services that were terminated in advance, shortly after President Gustavo Petro requested his resignation at the end of February.
The investigative entity announced that it will present the request for a hearing to impute charges before the Superior Court of Bogotá, where the possible criminal behaviors in the process of processing and entering into the more than 100 contracts will be detailed.
“According to the evidence, after President Gustavo Petro requested her resignation, on the night of February 28 of this year, the former official ordered the selective and subjective termination of 106 contracts for the provision of professional services. and management support, which were valid for four months”, detailed the Prosecutor’s Office.
In the early termination minutes of each contractor, it was stated that the work commitment was terminated for personal reasons, immediately after the request to resign from Urrutia. However, by instruction of the then-outgoing minister, the contractors were rehired in just four days, this time for a longer term that extended until December 31, 2023.
“In the investigation it was established that the contracts were entered into again in apparent ignorance of the rules of public contracting,” read the statement from the Prosecutor’s Office.
It is important to note that this case is in the hands of a prosecutor delegated to the Supreme Court of Justice and the imposition of an insurance measure against the former Minister of Sports of the government of Gustavo Petro will not be requested.