Why is the Prosecutor’s Office requesting a conviction against César Manrique Soacha, current director of the Public Service, for events that occurred in the Gustavo Petro mayor’s office?

In the proceedings, the representative of the Prosecutor’s Office requested a conviction for the official, since she considered that he was involved with a series of irregularities in the motorcycle contract.

“The Prosecutor’s Office reiterates its request for a conviction for the crimes of contract without compliance with legal requirements, undue interest in the execution of contracts and embezzlement by appropriation,” said the official of the prosecuting body.

At the time the case was traced back, Manrique Soacha was manager of the Surveillance and Security Fund (FVS) (current director of the Administrative Department of the District Civil Service) and, apparently, there were alleged irregularities in the contract for the purchase of the motorcycles.

At the hearing this Wednesday, Manrique Soacha presented his allegations and explained: “I did not receive the motorcycles, they were received 8 months after I left office,” he said.

The contract signed in 2012 which had an investment of $4,357 million and according to the authorities, the duty to carry out a public tender was evaded and it was contracted directly, “violating the contracting regulations, also noting an unusual eagerness on the part of the then manager to sign the contract”.

According to the investigation, the cross-type electric motorcycles were directly contracted for the fund, at the service of the Metropolitan Police of the capital, at an individual cost it was $43,570,000.

In fact, it was noted that Manrique signed the contract with a legal representative who did not have the legal capacity to compromise the company he represented.

Faced with this fact, the key man of the Petro government pointed out that “that was the subject of investigation by the District Comptroller to see if there were cost overruns in the acquisition and if they were purchased according to the procedures that exist for these issues, and the Comptroller’s Office ruled in our favor saying that there was no (fiscal) responsibility, cost overrun or patrimonial detriment.”

However, the Prosecutor’s Office He reiterated that there was a redirection so that the motorcycles were acquired by a single offering company, Therefore, he considered that Manrique is “responsible for the crime of entering into a contract without compliance with the legal requirements.”

At the time, the Ombudsman described the case as “very serious.”

In August 2019, Manrique was sentenced to 10 years in prison, however, in August 2020, the Superior Court of Bogotá revoked the conviction for “violations of due process,” but this process continued. walking in the Prosecutor’s Office, but once Manrique was appointed to the Public Service The case went to the Supreme Court of Justice.

In the proceedings this Wednesday, the prosecutor in the case presented several aspects that supported the accusation against the official. Among them, the motorcycles would be used on terrain not appropriate for the characteristics of the motorcycles, Furthermore, they could not be used for more than 6 hours a day, since that time would be required to charge them.

The representative of victims and the Public Prosecutor’s Office also participated in the proceedings; however, the Chamber postponed the proceedings until July 18 to continue listening to the parties to make a substantive decision in the case.