Popayán cancels over $18 billion pesos in expired traffic fines

A judicial ruling has led to the cancellation of over $18.45 billion Colombian pesos in expired traffic fines in Popayán. Following Sentence 069 from the Administrative Tribunal of Cauca, the municipality's Transit Secretariat began reviewing records to identify infractions that met the legal requirements for prescription under Article 159 of the National Transit Code.

The first consolidated balance of this process reports 29,407 favorable records involving 16,209 identification documents. The initiative was promoted by Councilman José Luis Diago Franco with legal support from JM Abogados & Asesores after the tribunal ruled that the local administration had failed to comply with legal mandates regarding the expiration of old fines.

The Secretariat has begun implementing these changes through administrative acts, including resolutions issued in April and June 2026, specifically targeting fines from the 2021 and 2022 periods. The process requires a case-by-case review to ensure due process is respected, particularly for those already in coercive collection stages.