Colombian Official Reveals Bribery of Senators and Congressmen in Exchange for Social Reforms Approval

A high-ranking official in Colombia revealed on Friday that he used state funds to pay bribes to senators and congressmen in order to secure the approval of social reforms presented by the government. The official, Snyder Pinilla, former deputy director of UNGRD, made the admission in an interview with Semana magazine.

Pinilla stated that he paid 3,000 million pesos to Senator Iván Name and 1,000 million pesos to Representative Andrés Calle in cash in order to support health, pension and labor reforms. The money was supposed to come from a contractor tasked with purchasing tanker trucks for water supply in La Guajira but the project failed due to technical issues. Pinilla also implicated other officials including the former director of UNGRD, the Minister of Interior and an advisor for the Regions.

The presidency of Colombia issued a statement condemning corruption and ordered an investigation into the misuse of public resources with support from the US Embassy. Pinilla further revealed details about how the bribes were delivered including the involvement of a high-level 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 money.

Following Pinilla’s revelations calls were made for Sandra Ortiz’s resignation as advisor for regions and further investigations into corruption allegations. Senator Name and his fellow accused officials continue to deny any wrongdoing 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.