Colombian mayor suspended for involvement in corruption case

Colombian mayor suspended for involvement in corruption case

2011-05-04 03:01:03 GMT+7 (ICT)

BOGOTA, COLOMBIA (BNO NEWS) -- Colombia's Attorney General on Tuesday suspended Bogota mayor Samuel Moreno for his alleged involvement in a corruption case, El Tiempo newspaper reported.

Attorney General Alejandro Ordonez decided to suspend Moreno for three months while an investigation determine if the mayor of Colombia's capital city was involved in a corruption case related to infrastructure contracts.

Moreno said that he will appeal the Attorney General's decision and will not resign to his position. His brother, Senator Ivan Moreno was arrested last Wednesday for demanding bribes in exchange for securing construction companies in Bogota.

Ordonez asked Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos to appoint as soon as possible an acting mayor for the duration of Moreno's suspension, which came into place on Tuesday.

The charges against Moreno stemmed from an investigation over irregularities in the Bogota city government since 2007, when Luis Eduardo Garzon was mayor. Ordonez added that 32 people are involved in the case, including government officials and businessmen.

The Attorney General said that Moreno, who began his mandate as mayor in 2008, is under investigation over six construction contracts granted to Instituto de Desarrollo Urbano (IDU).

In addition, he is accused of not ordering the required studies for the construction of the phase three of the Transmilenio project as well as not completing the planned works on Bogota's streets.

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