Former La Paz Mayor Martín Zuleta Hospitalized After Capture in Colombia Corruption Probe

Former La Paz mayor Martín Guillermo Zuleta Mieles presented himself voluntarily to the Fiscalía General de la Nación after a capture order was issued. The order is part of a nationwide operation that has detained 13 people and targeted a alleged scheme that misused more than 3 trillion Colombian pesos of resources from the Sistema General de Regalías (SGR) to award roughly 480 public‑works contracts across 19 departments.

Zuleta was transferred to the Instituto Cardiovascular del Cesar in Valledupar after suffering a health complication—reported as a severe decompensation of blood pressure and glucose levels—shortly after learning of the capture order. He remains under police and CTI custody while the investigation continues, with authorities awaiting his appearance before a control‑guarantees judge.

The probe alleges that the mixed fund “Sierra Nevada” was used to channel contracts in sectors such as infrastructure, education, water, sanitation, health and energy, often through falsified documents and a parallel contracting manual. The operation also involved raids in cities including Bogotá, Cartagena, Pereira and Villavicencio.