Attorney General's Office to punish former officials of Incoder

The Attorney General's Office confirmed the suspension of 12 months or special disability for the same term to Mr. Orlando Antonio Martinez and Mario Maya Montoya Gaviria, in his capacity as professionals of the Colombian Institute for Rural Development (coder), by omitting relevant information given in a technical concept for the purchase of a property by this institute.

Messrs. Montoya Gaviria and Maya Martinez, professionals in agronomy and animal husbandry, respectively, expressed through a technical concept that the property called "Maracaibo", located in the village of La Granja municipality of Buenavista (Quindio), was able to perform the program of relocation of families displaced by violence, although this did not qualify for it because it is located in a forest reserve.

According to research, this concept gave technical feasibility to the purchase of this property by the coder for a sum in excess of 339 million pesos, which was awarded to 13 families in 13 family farm units. However, it was necessary to relocate to 9 of them, "to give effect to the judgments of guardianship ampararon rights of these families," because it was established that they were living in abject conditions.

The conduct of those professionals "seriously affected public property, for investment involving the acquisition of the property was held for 13 families, and not 4, which is the real place of the property, given its environmental constraints."

Consequently, the disciplined participated in the process of purchase by the coder of the site Maracaibo, "in disregard of the principles governing government contracting and administrative functions covered by the Constitution and the Law, and to the detriment of public property."

The prosecution said that the sanction of suspension becomes minimum wages according to the amount involved accrued for the year 2007, taking into account that is set not currently working with the entity.