Medellín officials accused of $3.7 billion sports contract fraud

The Colombian Prosecutor General's Office has formally accused three former officials from Medellín and one contractor of irregularities involving a sports development contract between 2020 and 2022. The investigation focuses on alleged overpricing totaling approximately 3.7 billion Colombian pesos for the purchase of sports equipment, including uniforms, balls, and medals.

The accused include Diana Toro, former manager of the Institute of Sports and Recreation (INDER); Jorge Liévano, former manager of Metroparques; and María Domínguez, former head of Purchasing and former general manager of Metroparques. A contractor, Mauricio Jaramillo, is also implicated.

Prosecutors allege that the contracting process lacked essential sector studies, market analysis, and technical price justifications. These omissions reportedly bypassed principles of transparency and objective selection, allegedly favoring a company represented by Jaramillo and resulting in a significant loss of public resources.