2024-07-19 18:32:33
At an event held in the port of Buenaventura, President Gustavo Petro defended with the Minister of Finance and Public Credit, Ricardo Bonilla González, in response to accusations made by Olmedo López, former director of the National Unit for Disaster Risk Management.
Petro denied the accusations, highlighting the integrity and honesty of Bonilla González.When I was Mayor, they seized 100 million dollars from my property and wanted to imprison me. Now, those same people who accused me are trying to do the same with my Government, claiming that we are corrupt.“Petro said. “Any corrupt person in the government is immediately fired by the President, as happened with Olmedo López,” he added.
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The president explained that requests for support for projects by congressmen to the Minister of Finance, a common practice in Congress, were handled correctly.The Interparliamentary Credit Commission does not approve laws, but rather the credits necessary to pay the debt inherited from the previous Government“, he pointed.
Petro defended the actions of Minister Bonilla González, stating that he is an outstanding and honest economist.They accuse us of corruption, but the real corrupt ones are those who benefited from that debt. Bonilla is working to pay it off without harming the people.“, he emphasized.
The president concluded his speech by stating that he does not tolerate corruption in his government and that he has always taken action against it. “When they show me a corrupt person, I act immediately. But when they accuse honest people, like the Minister of Finance, I have to defend them. Bonilla has not stolen a peso and he works for the benefit of the Colombian people,” Petro concluded.
You can read: Petro summoned the citizens on July 16 to approve the pension reform