The president of the Commission of Accusations of the House of Representatives, Wadith Manzur, and the Minister of the Interior, Luis Fernando Velasco, became the new names mentioned by the former director of the Risk Management Unit, Olmedo López, as key pieces of the corruption scandal that until now involves a contract for the purchase of tank trucks for 40,000 million pesos in La Guajira with cost overruns to make payments to various politicians.
“The corruption scheme goes beyond the tank trucks,” Olmedo López said in a long interview with journalist Vicky Dávila from Semana Magazine. The statement specifically names Carlos Ramón González, Wadith Manzur, Carlos Ramón González.
“The issue of the tank cars touches several people. The president of the Commission of Accusations, Wadith Manzur, is one of the beneficiaries of this process. To commit these acts, two parties are needed, not just one. The one who delivers, the one who receives, the one who gives the orders. When I say that we were wrong, it goes beyond the purchase of the tank trucks, but rather the fundamental fact and that is that this regrettable issue for the country that we have to repent of has to do with events that in Colombia I hope will not be repeated again.” Lopez added.
Regarding Manzur’s case, the former director of the UNGRD assured that it is a contract. “I did not agree anything with him, I received an order and the order was carried out. “It is documented and I have the evidence.” Manzur is a representative of the Conservative Party and his political influence is found in Montería, Córdoba, where his family is a local traditional power. He, in turn, is the president of the House Impeachment Commission that investigates President Gustavo Petro’s campaign for alleged irregular financing.
Regarding the Minister of the Interior, Luis Fernando Velasco, López said that he had a lot to explain to the country. “We have to accept because to correct these errors we have to recognize that we were wrong. We must gather together ministers, department directors and congressmen. From what I have from the meetings I attended, Dr. Luis Fernando Velasco will have a lot to explain to the country. It is precisely in this agenda that the country knows the truth. Dr. Velasco will tell the country what the reasons were. I transmitted the instructions he received and transmitted them to one of my subordinates. It is an agenda that we have to repent of and ask the country for forgiveness. “This agenda is acts of corruption that benefited a significant number of congressmen,” he pointed out.
Minister Velasco was in the debate on the pension reform when the publication was made. He said that he will face López in court and that he is a “thief who stole the UNGRD.” The former director also spoke of a “conclave” and when asked if Laura Sarabia knew about these events, he said “the details of what happened in 2022 and 2023 are issues that the country should know about,” he concluded.
