The Comptroller General of the Republic (CGR) on the morning of Tuesday, January 30, is inspecting the offices of the Department of Social Prosperity (DPS) located in Bogotá, in search of evidence and documentation on possibly irregular hiring carried out by its former director Pierre García .
This operation is part of the investigations that seek to clarify the scope of the corruption scandal called Las Marionetas 2.0, implicating high-level political figures. The inspection is carried out by a specialized team from the Directorate of Analysis and Immediate Reaction (Diari), guided by the controller in charge and accompanied by the social inclusion delegate.
“We have ordered that a team from the Diari, assuming the powers of the Judicial Police through the Immediate Reaction Unit of the URI, carry out, together with the delegate of social inclusion, a special visit to the Department of Social Prosperity (DPS) with the exclusive purpose to investigate and verify the behavior of the contracts that have been questioned as a result of the complaints and questions of the contracting scandals and misappropriation of funds in this institute,” said the deputy comptroller acting as Comptroller General, Carlos Mario Zuluaga.
The focus of the investigation lies in the contracts signed during the administration of García, suspected of participating in a sophisticated corruption scheme. This scandal involves several congressmen and former congressmen, evidencing a network that compromises the integrity of the DPS.
“In order for us to obtain the information, contracts, reports and all contractual and pre-contractual information that allows the Comptroller’s Office to identify whether or not these events that are also being investigated by the Attorney General’s Office a fiscal responsibility for these resources,” the official added.
García’s involvement is of special interest as he is currently in France, subject to a red notice from Interpol, waiting to answer for his actions. This event highlights the Comptroller’s commitment to ensuring transparent public management and the appropriate use of state resources.
The Secretary of Transparency, Andrés Idárraga, extended requests to various government entities, including the Ministries of Mines and Transportation, as well as the Prosecutor’s Office, to examine whether officials currently in Gustavo Petro’s Government could be linked to the corrupt activities they had. origin in the administration of former president Iván Duque. This process seeks to identify and clean up any vestige of corruption within the public service, reaffirming the commitment to integrity and rectitude in the management of resources and affairs of the state.
About the case of ‘The Puppets 2’
In Colombia, political corruption has taken on another chapter with the conviction of former senator Mario Castaño and the recent capture of senator Ciro Ramírez, both involved in a vast scandal related to the manipulation of public contracts. The plot, titled “Las Marionetas 2,” also involves Pierre García, former director of Social Prosperity during the Iván Duque government, who is under investigation for allegedly facilitating the diversion of contracts in exchange for bribes. Castaño, convicted for his participation in the corrupt scheme, died in November 2023 at the La Picota penitentiary center.
In December, the Supreme Court of Colombia ordered the arrest of Ramírez for the crimes of conspiracy, bribery and improper interest in the execution of contracts. He is accused of redirecting state contracts in several regions of the country in exchange for illicit commissions. The case highlights the deep network of corruption involving high-ranking officials and its impact on the management of public funds and the execution of social policies.
The investigation points to García as a key player in the orchestration of the corrupt scheme. During his management at Social Prosperity, the entity in charge of executing support programs for vulnerable populations, García would have facilitated the manipulation of tenders in favor of Proyecta Quindío, one of the companies involved. The Colombian Prosecutor’s Office requests his imprisonment while the process progresses, accusing him of receiving bribes and functioning as the main intermediary in the contract diversion scheme.
The “Las Marionetas 2” scandal not only sheds light on the persistence of corruption at the highest levels of the Colombian government, but also questions the effectiveness of surveillance and control mechanisms over public procurement. The case continues to develop, and with it, the hopes for greater transparency and justice in the country’s political and social sphere. With Infobae
