Colombian passport contract faces suspension over legal irregularities

The Colombian Inspector General's Office has requested the suspension of a contract involving the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Imprenta Nacional, and the Casa da Moeda de Portugal for the production of new Colombian passports. The delegate prosecutor, Marcio Melgosa, submitted the request to the Administrative Tribunal of Cundinamarca following findings of serious irregularities.

Investigators identified several issues, including a lack of financial planning and legal flaws. Specifically, the contract was reportedly signed under the mistaken assumption that the Casa da Moeda de Portugal is a foreign public entity, whereas it operates as a private company, which would disqualify it from certain inter-administrative agreements. The project is estimated to cost taxpayers 1.3 trillion pesos during a period of acute fiscal crisis.

During an inspection of the Imprenta Nacional's vault, officials discovered 66,400 blank passport booklets, with 59,000 sent from Paris and 7,400 from Lisbon. The manager of the entity stated she was unable to certify the origin or intended use of these materials, noting that the Imprenta acts as an intermediary without the necessary technical capacity to manage the contract.