The Administrative Court of Cundinamarca decided to overthrow the appointment of Verónica Alcocer, wife of President Gustavo Petro, as ambassador on special mission.
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The first lady had been appointed to this position to attend an audience with Pope Francis in January 2023.
The determination was made under the presentation of magistrate Luis Manuel Lasso Lozano, who declared void the designation of Verónica Alcocer as ambassador of special mission to the Vatican City, by means of decree 0035 of January 12 of last year.
The Court’s ruling was handed down after the lawsuit filed by Harold Eduardo Sua Montaña, who asserted that the appointment made by President Petro violated article 126 of the Political Constitution of Colombia. which prohibits public servants from appointing public positions to people with whom they have a marriage or permanent union.
Referring to the constitutional prohibition, the Court noted that “the cause of nullity provided for in article 275, paragraph 5, of Law 1437 of 2011 is configured: persons who are subject to causes of disqualification are appointed.”
This decision comes after the Attorney General’s Office asked the Administrative Court of Cundinamarca to declare the decree null and void.
The Attorney General’s Office reiterated that Verónica Alcocer is not a public servant and, therefore, it cannot have regulated commissions or travel expenses for public servants.
Will Verónica Alcocer have to return the money for the travel expenses?
The lawsuit requested that Verónica Alcocer return the money for the travel expenses spent on her visit to the Supreme Pontiff. However, the Court decided not to intervene on that point.
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