The Attorney General’s Office sanctioned the former governor of Cauca, Óscar Rodrigo Campo Hurtado (2016 – 2019), with a four-month suspension for non-compliance with the Quota Law (Law 581 of 2000), which orders the appointment of at least 30% of women in leadership and decision-making positions in the State.
In a first instance ruling, the Disciplinary Chamber of Judgment of Public Servants of Popular Election established that the then official, who is currently a representative to the Chamber for Cauca, for the year 2016 did not specifically comply with the percentage of women appointed to positions of the government called ‘other decision-making levels – OND’.
Yesterday, Monday, the control body indicated that for that year the plant of the territorial entity had two positions at that level called undersecretaries of office, and in none of them did it appoint a woman, which is why compliance with the norm in those specific positions was 0%. He highlighted that in this case the way to reach the minimum quota would have been by appointing a woman, so she would have met the minimum required percentage.
For the Public Ministry, “the defendant failed to observe his functional duty by appointing and occupying only men in all OND positions, thereby violating the principle of equality contained in our Constitution, without any justification being apparent.”
She added in the ruling that compliance with the Quota Law is relevant “because only by guaranteeing women’s access to the decision-making levels of the administration can a pluralistic and egalitarian society be built.”
Due to these facts, the control body classified the conduct of the person under investigation as a serious offense committed with serious negligence. As Campo Hurtado is not currently holding the position in which the investigated conduct originated, the sanction imposed will become the equivalent of the salaries earned at the time of the commission of the offense, which results in an amount of 14 million 192 thousand pesos.
The first instance ruling can be appealed by the sanctioned party.
