Colombia Minister denounces alleged irregularities in firefighter contracts

Colombia's Minister of the Interior, Rodrigo Lara, has filed complaints with the Prosecutor General's Office, the Inspector General's Office, and the Comptroller General regarding alleged irregularities in contracts awarded to the National Firefighters Directorate during the administration of Gustavo Petro.

The allegations stem from a forensic audit of procurement made under a state of emergency following floods that affected eight departments. While approximately $42 billion pesos were contracted under the 'urgencia manifiesta' (manifest urgency) figure to bypass bidding processes, Lara claims only $313 million pesos were actually used to address the flooding. The remaining funds were reportedly used to purchase fire suits, breathing equipment, and hazardous material supplies, which the Minister argues were unrelated to the specific flood emergency invoked.

One specific contract highlighted is process 076 with the Barranquilla-based company MAC Soluciones. Originally valued at $16 billion pesos, the contract reportedly increased to $24 billion pesos through an $8 billion peso addition. Lara noted that the contract was signed six weeks after the emergency declaration had ended. Furthermore, discrepancies were reported regarding equipment delivery, with claims that certain items were invoiced but remained in the contractor's warehouse rather than being delivered to the firefighters.